On Thursday, 4/20, a top Republican Wisconsin legislator announced that GOP members were working privately on legislation to legalize medicinal marijuana – though Democratic leadership has already skepticism about the plan.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, (R), did not provide any details on the proposals in the works but stated that the goal was to create something that would be bipartisan and could be implemented later this year.
The speaker said that he is still opposed to legalizing adult-use marijuana, telling The Associated Press Wisconsin is neither a blue nor red state, but “at best, purple. And purple does not mean legalization of recreational cannabis.”
The bill, which is currently being worked on, will likely be restrictive, as the GOP controls the legislature and the leadership has historically been unwilling to pass modest cannabis reform legislation.
Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard, (D), who has championed adult use legalization is not convinced that the Speaker will keep this latest promise.
She said , “We’ve heard this story before. But actions speak louder that words.” “Session by session, the Speaker continues to make empty promises without taking any concrete steps towards legalizing cannabis in Wisconsin.”
Agard and Sen. Mary Felzkowski discussed the prospects for cannabis reform at a Wisconsin Policy Forum webinar earlier this month.
Felzkowski said she is “very focused” on bringing medical marijuana to the end of the session.
She told Marijuana Moment, however, that there will be a “compromise”, which will likely result in the prohibition of smoking cannabis as well as the limitation of the conditions under which people are eligible for medical marijuana.
Wisconsin legislators are being urged to allow some sort of regulated cannabis access, given the rapid changes in regional policies.
reported in February revealed that 50% of Wisconsinites aged 21 or older lived within 75 minutes from an out-of state cannabis retailer such as those in Illinois and Michigan. This percentage could increase if legislative efforts to legalize cannabis in Minnesota succeed this session.
A recent legislative analysis, requested by Agard, shows that Wisconsin residents bought more than $121,000,000 worth of marijuana in Illinois from legal retailers between 2022 and 2023, generating about $36,000,000 in tax revenue for the state.
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Meanwhile, Gov. In February, Tony Evers (D), released a biennial budget request that included language to legalize recreational and medical marijuana in the State.
The governor previously indicated that he intended to include the adult-use measure, despite a leading GOP lawmaker warning that taking this step could compromise negotiations for more modest medical marijuana legislation.
Agard stated last month that if Republicans remove the item from the budget, he will introduce his bill again to achieve this goal. He added that it is “high time” that we accomplish this for the benefit of our state and its residents.
In the Governor’s Budget Request, his office estimated the state could generate $44.4m in “segregated taxes” from legal marijuana, and an additional $10.2m in general fund tax revenues in fiscal 2025, if the reform was enacted.
The Governor also included legalization of adult-use marijuana and medical cannabis in the budget he proposed for 2021 as well as medical cannabis and decriminalization in the 2019 proposal. However, the conservative legislature has consistently obstructed the reform.
The leader of the Senate believes that a more modest policy can be implemented this session.
Devin LeMahieu, Senate Majority leader (R), said that “our caucus has made some progress on medical marijuana.” “Some of our members who may be at the point where they could vote for it, just want to ensure it is regulated properly.”
The Governor said he was encouraged to hear the Senate Leader’s comments about a near consensus on medical marijuana . He is prepared to sign any legislation that does not have too many restrictions.
Evers did not mention his legalization plan in his budget address this year. However, he did emphasize in his inaugural speech last month the need for the state to have “meaningful conversations about treating marijuana like we treat alcohol.”
The Wisconsin legislature has failed to pass more modest proposals such as decriminalization and the legalization for medical cannabis.
Evers, who met with college students ahead of the November elections, encouraged them to vote and get involved, in part, to ensure that the state moves forward on marijuana legalization.
The governor had introduced a resolution that would have allowed citizens to place initiatives on the ballot. If Democrats won enough seats to pass the resolution, they could also have passed it. The move was welcomed by marijuana advocates, who hoped that it would allow voters to decide whether or not marijuana should be legalized. However, it is unlikely that GOP legislators will support it.
has been making its voice heard in the state on cannabis reform during the last few election cycles. Recently, voters in five counties and three municipalities in Wisconsin have approved non-binding questions for their local ballots to support legalization.
Local votes serve as a way to communicate with constituents and provide lawmakers a sense of the policy climate. The laws that have been approved do not, however, change by themselves.
In an August statewide survey, 69 percent (or a majority) of Wisconsin registered voters believe that marijuana should be legal. This includes 81 per cent of Democrats, 75 per cent of Independents and 51percent of Republicans.
Republicans introduced a limited medical marijuana bill last year. It was heard on 4/20 – the unofficial holiday for marijuana. However, it came too late to allow lawmakers to vote on this measure.
Other GOP members have submitted bills to decriminalize more modestly marijuana possession within the state but none of these proposals has advanced.
As of now, marijuana possession can be punished by a maximum fine of $1,000 and up to 6 months in prison for a first offence. A subsequent offense is punishable by up to a three-and-a-half year prison sentence and a $10,000 maximum fine.
Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
The post Top Wisconsin Legislator Says Republicans are Working Privately On Medical Marijuana Bill first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
