The Wisconsin Senate rejected two amendments that would have allowed marijuana to be legalized. This puts lawmakers on record regarding the policy supported by voters.
The Senate was given a chance to pass the reform after Republican senators removed cannabis provisions from the Governor’s Budget last month. One omnibus measure would have restored a number of administrative priorities, including marijuana legalization, and another clean measure focusing exclusively on cannabis legalization.
On Wednesday, the standalone amendment on marijuana reform failed in a vote of 22-11.
In a telephone interview with Marijuana Moment on Wednesday, Agard said: “We know Wisconsin continues to be an island of prohibition in the Midwest.” “We’re falling behind in Wisconsin.” “We are more dangerous due to the prohibition of marijuana.”
She added that the state was experiencing “real revenue losses” because it continues to refuse to legalize marijuana.
The prohibition of alcohol “continues” to be harmful to our state. It reduces safety. We’re violating people’s freedoms and liberties, because cannabis consumption does not harm the community when it is regulated properly. And we’re losing out on opportunities for prosperity and growth in our communities and main streets. This is the policy which should be included in our state budget.
It is notable that no Republican spoke in opposition to the Amendment before voting against it.
The results of the GOP-controlled legislative body are not entirely surprising, but this is the first time voters can get a sense of how all their senators feel about the issue.
Agard, , who spoke to Marijuana Moment last week on the challenges of advancing marijuana reform in Wisconsin amid GOP opposition said it was “so crucial that people reach out and share with their elected officials why a ‘no’ vote is harmful to them and how it impacts them personally.”
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Meanwhile, Gov. Last week, Tony Evers (D ) signed a bill of a significant scale. The bill includes a controversial provision that blocks local governments from putting non-binding questions on ballots. This policy has been used for years to demonstrate public support for legalizing marijuana.
The legislation is primarily focused on revenue-sharing and funding localities. However, the removal of the advisory questions may threaten the democratic process which allows voters to express their views on cannabis legalization.
In just three counties and five cities voters approved referendums voicing support for legalizing cannabis. This reform is also supported by the Governor but has been consistently blocked under GOP leadership at Madison.
Separately this month, the Republican Speaker of the Assembly announced that the caucus intends to introduce a medical cannabis bill by the summer. He stressed that the bill would be different from any other medical cannabis laws in the country.
The reported efforts of GOP colleagues in advancing medical cannabis reform have sparked skepticism among Democratic lawmakers. Evers and Agard are among those who have been pushing for comprehensive cannabis legalization. However, the conservative legislature has not yet advanced on this issue.
The Governor said in January he believes Republicans will introduce medical marijuana legislation this session . He committed to signing the law as long as it is not “flawed”, with 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. The 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 an out-of state cannabis retailer such as Illinois or Michigan. This percentage is likely to rise when Minnesota’s cannabis market opens.
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Photo by Brian Shamblen.
The article Wisconsin GOP senators defeat marijuana legalization amendment led by top Democrat first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
