Wisconsin legislature to consider legalizing medicinal marijuana

MADISON, Wis. (Civic Media) – Republicans who control both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature are considering the legalization of medical marijuana.

According to the Associated Press, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said a group of legislators are working on a plan to be introduced later this year that would make marijuana available in Wisconsin for medicinal use.

Democrats in the Wisconsin Legislature have been proposing legalizing marijuana for several years. Legislators advocating for legal marijuana are touring the state on April 20, or “420 Day,” on what they are touting the “Grass Routes Tour.”

A public hearing on a medical marijuana bill was held in 2022. The GOP-authored bill was not intended to pass, but to begin drafting legislation for future consideration, according to a report by WKOW-TV.

BREAKING:

After years of opposition to any form of marijuana legalization in Wisconsin, Republican lawmakers are now working privately to build support for a medical cannabis program that could win bipartisan backing and be enacted into law later this year, @SpeakerVos
tells @AP

— Scott Bauer (@sbauerAP) April 20, 2023

The bill, 2021 Senate Bill 1034, would have created a state-run medical marijuana program that would authorize use for specific medical conditions. The bill would not have de-criminalized recreational use of THC.

Similarly, the AP reported that any new Republican-led plan would not support recreational use of marijuana.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers included in his 2023 state budget proposal an effort to legalize recreational and medical marijuana in the state. The budget included direction on where taxes collected from marijuana sales would go.

🙄 C’mon, Wisconsin, we are missing out on major opportunities! It’s time to catch up to our neighbors and #LegalizeIt 🌱🌱#MarijuanaMonday pic.twitter.com/Zp8iWc19o9

— Senator Melissa Agard 🌻 (@SenatorAgard) April 10, 2023