The Republican leader in the Wisconsin Assembly has said he is unwilling to compromise on his plan to establish state-run dispensaries as part of a limited medical cannabis program.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, unveiled a medical cannabis bill in Wisconsin last week. The law is the “most restrictive medical cannabis law” in the nation. The bill was immediately criticized by both Republican Senate Leaders and Democrats who wanted comprehensive legalization.
Vos stated at a Tuesday press conference that he does not plan to amend the bill to address concerns of his Senate counterparts.
The speaker said, “We are likely to lose votes in our caucus if we take and re-negotiate the bill.” The speaker told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that renegotiating the bill would likely result in us losing votes within our caucus.
Vos stated, “I would rather keep our promise to pass a comprehensive law that will actually be passed, than to support an idea that may someday gain support, but never gets anywhere.”
Last week, he and Assembly Republicans outlined a plan that would ban smokeable products and limit the list of conditions for dispensaries to five.
Senate Majority leader Devin LeMahieu, (R), said on Thursday that a state-controlled dispensary is “non starter” for many of our caucus. He questioned why the legislature “would let government grow in size.”
He said that “my caucus and perhaps for many members of the Assembly’s caucus” we campaigned on controlling the size government, drawing a similarity to “a DMV (District Medical Office) for medical marijuana.” However, he also agreed that “there are a number of good things in this bill,” which could provide a basis for compromise.
Vos seems less willing to engage in that conversation. This could derail the reform drive before formal discussions have begun.
The Assembly bill also faces a problem because Senate President Chris Kapenga, a Republican, has indicated that he is against any medical cannabis legislation that is intentionally restricted. He said that, while the proposal makes efforts to reduce the abuse of marijuana, the data is “inconclusive” at best and can have harmful and dangerous effects at worst. This includes public safety concerns.
Sen. Melissa Agard, who has been leading the charge for broader cannabis legalization during recent legislative sessions, told Marijuana Moment in an interview last week that she is not surprised by the discord between the Assembly GOP and Senate GOP.
She said, “In the past few sessions we have seen Wisconsin Republicans give false hope to patients that would benefit greatly from medical marijuana.” “Unfortunately, the GOP’s new policy proposal appears to be nothing more than their usual pattern of smoke-and-mirrors when it comes cannabis reform.”
According to the Assembly GOP’s plan, which was described, the state will create a restrictive program that limits patients only to non-smoking cannabis products such as edibles and oils. Patients with certain conditions could receive a prescription from a doctor and purchase the products at five dispensaries in the state.
Cancer, epilepsy and post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) are all qualifying conditions. So is glaucoma. Also, severe chronic pains, muscle spasms or chronic nausea. Multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, Alzheimer’s Disease, and terminal illnesses with a life expectancy of less than 365 days.
The state would run the dispensaries, but growers and processors could operate independently if they obtained a state permit. The state would employ the pharmacists that dispense cannabis to patients.
A legislative analysis found that the bill would establish a Office of Medical Cannabis Regulator (OMCR) within DHS, which will regulate the program and maintain a statewide registry of patients and caregivers. Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection would oversee the cultivation, testing and processing.
The proposal would allow only the OMCR to sell medical cannabis to patients. It would also exempt the cannabis from state sales taxes. The advertising of dispensaries’ services would be banned.
The legislation allows employers to ban cannabis, even when it is used legally under the medical marijuana program.
Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat who favors broader legalization of recreational marijuana, surprised many by saying this month that , he would be willing to sign into law a limited reform, as long as it didn’t include “poison tablets.”
A spokesperson for Evers gave a noncommittal response after the details were revealed. Evers “looks to hear from Wisconsinites and others stakeholders as the Bill moves through the legislative processes.”
In recent days, the governor said that Wisconsin has “lost out” to neighboring states that have implemented the reform because of the GOP’s inaction.
Evers said that it was time to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana in Wisconsin, just like we do for alcohol. In November, he granted another round pardons . This included dozens of people who had prior marijuana convictions.
Vos, Assembly Speaker, said last week that he is “pretty sure” the legislature will pass the medical marijuana legislation even if “only Republican votes” get it through the finish line.
While Republicans have been working on modest reform , they’ve found that Democratic efforts to push for adult-use cannabis legalization has complicated their work.
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In November, the state Department of Revenue published a fiscal estimate of Agard’s legalization bill’s economic impact. The department projected that this reform would generate approximately $170 million in annual tax revenue.
A legislative analysis, requested by the leader of the minority, estimated that Wisconsin citizens spent over $121 million in Illinois alone on cannabis last year. This contributed $36 million to tax revenue in the neighboring state.
The conservative legislature, however, has long been resistant to even small reforms – stripping out marijuana proposals from Governor’s budget requests.
A bipartisan group of Wisconsin legislators introduced a bill to decriminalize possession of marijuana in Wisconsin last month. The sponsors hope that the noncommercial, limited reform will gain enough support to pass the state’s GOP controlled legislature. It could also become law alongside the separate medical cannabis legislation.
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Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
The post Top Wisconsin Republican Lawmaker Unwilling to Amend State-Run Medical Marijuana Act To Address Senate Republican Leadership’s Concerns first appeared on Marijuana moment.
