Supporters of a bill to legalize medical marijuana made their case to a Kansas Senate panel a day before opponents are scheduled to get their turn before committee members.

The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee held an informational hearing Wednesday to hear testimony from proponents of a measure sponsored by Democratic Sen. David Haley of Kansas City.

Speakers included legal and medical professionals and several people who said medical marijuana treatments would help them.

Tatiana Lin, a senior analyst at the Kansas Health Institute, discussed a draft report on the bill’s potential consequences. She said the institute’s preliminary study predicted overall marijuana consumption would not increase as a result the bill, although a rise in marijuana consumption among at-risk residents was possible.