TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas senators are considering a measure that would allow limited possession of marijuana.

The bill includes provisions that reduce penalties for first- and second-time offenders. It also allows some medical cannabis treatment for those suffering from seizures and encourages industrial hemp research. The House passed the bill last year.

In a Kansas Senate committee hearing Wednesday, parents of children with developmental disabilities discussed the advantages of using medical marijuana for seizures.

Scott Schulz, executive director of the Kansas Sentencing Commission, also supported reducing criminal penalties for the possession of marijuana. The bill would reduce the severity of a first-time offense, while a second conviction would be considered a misdemeanor instead of a low-level felony.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers are reviewing a bill that would lessen the state’s penalties for marijuana possession and allow the limited use of marijuana for medical purposes.

The Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee was meeting Wednesday for the first of two days of hearings on the marijuana legislation. The panel was taking testimony from supporters first and hearing from opponents Thursday.

The House approved the bill last year.

The measure would decrease the maximum penalties for first-time, misdemeanor marijuana possession to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine from a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. A second possession conviction would no longer be a felony.

The bill also would allow cannabis to be used in treating seizures and set up a program to research industrial hemp production.