According to a top Wisconsin legislator, Republicans are planning to introduce a medical cannabis bill this summer. He said that the bill would be different from any other medical cannabis laws in the United States, and that it would be very restrictive.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said that on Tuesday, a group consisting of nine GOP lawmakers “has been meeting regularly to come up ideas,” with the goal of drafting legislation to avoid setting up the state to more widely legalize marijuana.
I can’t imagine a scenario in which I would be able to support the legalization of recreational marijuana. I don’t understand it. “I don’t see any benefit,” he replied. “But, I will say, historically, I believe Republicans have been more against all marijuana in particular. Still, there are plenty of people who are open to the idea. ‘”
The reported efforts of GOP colleagues in advancing medical cannabis reform have skepticized Democratic legislators. Gov. Gov.
Vos told that they had chosen a Wisconsin-specific version from a menu. The event was hosted by Wisconsin Health News on Tuesday. We hope to have something unique to Wisconsin by the end of summer. It may not be what some people would like, but it will be a Wisconsin-only solution. This would be something unique to Wisconsin and not done anywhere else in the country. It would give people in a bad situation relief from medicinal marijuana but would not lead to recreational marijuana which I believe is bad for society.
The GOP Speaker also claimed that, while he “offered” that Democratic legislators participate in discussions held by his party members, “they were dead-set on one solution, which was full legalization.”
Agard, who spoke with Marijuana Moment in depth last month on the struggles to move forward with cannabis reform, under Republican leadership, stated that she was not included in any negotiations her colleagues from the other side are reportedly holding.
She told Marijuana Moment, Wednesday in response to Vos’s remarks: “Republicans are the majority. Legislative Democrats will not stand in their way as they pass thoughtful medical marijuana.”
She said, “As a legislator who has been leading the marijuana legalization effort since 2013, I’d appreciate an invitation to their conversation.” “Of Course, I Support Full Legalization for Responsible Adult Use, but I Will Not Stand in the Way of Comprehensive Progress that Honors Individual Privacy and Liberties and Doesn’t Choose Winners and Losers of Pain Bearers”
Vos wants something much more limited. While Agard is pushing for an end to prohibition in its entirety, Vos has a different vision.
He said, “We are trying to focus on how it would look so that we can give the people something to react to. If you simply ask, ‘what believe you?’, people will be all over. “Because again, ideally, it would be something that would allow you to get a prescription at Walgreens and take your regular medicine, but that is a federal decision.”
Vos stated that he was “very reluctant” to adopt a solution based on state law, but since most states had already adopted the idea, we could find a way for it to be legalized at the federal level.
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The governor, who supports legalization strongly, stated in January that, he believes Republicans will introduce medical marijuana legislation this session and he has committed to sign it into law as long as there are not too many restrictions.
On this issue, the governor has had a strained working relationship with the GOP majority. The leadership has criticised Evers for including adult-use legalization as part of recent budget requests. Assembly Speaker warned this year, that including such a broad reform would jeopardize discussions on medical marijuana legislation.
He did it anyhow–and last month, at a hearing of a joint committee the Republicans responded in kind by removing both recreational and medical marijuana language from budget proposals, along with thousands of other policy items.
The state’s nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, at the request of the Senate Minority Leader, conducted a study in March that showed that Wisconsin residents would purchase more than $121,000,000 worth of marijuana in Illinois retailers by 2022. This will generate about $36,000,000 in state tax revenue.
In a separate report, published in February by Wisconsin Policy Forum, 50 percent of adults aged 21 or older in Wisconsin live within 75 miles of a cannabis retailer located in another state such as Illinois or Michigan. This percentage is likely to rise when Minnesota’s cannabis market opens.
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Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
The post Top Republican Wisconsin Lawmaker Says Bill on Medical Cannabis Will be Unveiled This Summer Despite Skepticism from Democrats first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
