{"id":52547,"date":"2022-01-26T10:12:02","date_gmt":"2022-01-26T18:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/01\/26\/wisconsin-republicans-announce-limited-medical-marijuana-legalization-bill\/"},"modified":"2022-01-26T13:45:59","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T21:45:59","slug":"wisconsin-republicans-announce-limited-medical-marijuana-legalization-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/01\/26\/wisconsin-republicans-announce-limited-medical-marijuana-legalization-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin Republicans Announce Limited Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

More than a dozen Republican Wisconsin lawmakers announced on Wednesday that they are filing a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state.<\/p>\n

Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R) and Rep. Patrick Snyder (R) are leading the bicameral effort, though advocates are already skeptical considering how the GOP-legislature has historically resisted and blocked cannabis reform. On Tuesday, for example, the Senate passed a bill to increase penalties for people who use butane to extract marijuana resin, and GOP members also shot down an amendment to the measure that would have legalized adult-use cannabis.<\/p>\n

The Republican-led medical cannabis legislation is also fairly restrictive, as it prohibits smokable marijuana products and doesn\u2019t allow patients to grow cannabis for personal use. Patients could only obtain cannabis preparations in the form of oils, pills, tinctures or topicals.<\/p>\n

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Wisconsinites deserve another tool in the toolbox as they go through difficult treatment and recovery journeys, look to alleviate their chronic pain, and handle the debilitating effects of PTSD.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sen. Mary Felzkowski (@MaryFelzkowski) January 26, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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What it would do is allow doctors to issue medical cannabis recommendations to patients with one of eight conditions, including cancer, seizure disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and multiple sclerosis.<\/p>\n

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has expressed support for medical cannabis reform, and the lead Senate sponsor said<\/a> at Wednesday\u2019s press conference that Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R) is \u201cmore than willing\u201d to hold a hearing on the proposal.<\/p>\n

Under the bill, a medical marijuana regulatory commission would be established through the Department of Revenue to promulgate rules for the program in consultation with a medical cannabis advisory board. The commission could add more qualifying conditions.<\/p>\n

Licensed processors would be taxed at a rate of 10 percent for \u201ceach wholesale sale in this state of medical marijuana to a licensed dispensary,\u201d the text of the bill says. Revenue would go toward a medical marijuana fund to support drug prevention and treatment programs.<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nMarijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

It does not appear that the measure contains equity provisions like expungements that are favored by progressives.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently 36 other states, including our neighbors Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota, have passed laws allowing patients with certain medical conditions to access medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it,\u201d a co-sponsorship memo<\/a> that Felzkowski and Snyder sent to fellow legislators on Wednesday says. \u201cMedicine is never one-size-fits-all, and it is time for Wisconsin to join the majority of the country in adding another option which may help patients find the relief they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

The memo also discusses how voters in multiple cities and counties across Wisconsin have strongly approved local, non-binding ballot referendums<\/a> expressing support for marijuana reform<\/a> in recent years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWisconsinites who have discussed the positive benefits of using marijuana for medicinal purposes with their primary care physicians are currently forced to endure pain and physical agony, traffic drugs into Wisconsin and become criminals, or be held hostage by the FDA approved pain killers that may alleviate their pain, but come with a host of side effects that diminish quality of life,\u201d a summary of the proposal says.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the only cannabis bill that\u2019s up for consideration in the Wisconsin legislature.<\/p>\n

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Every single Republican voted against taking up my amendment to fully legalize cannabis for responsible, adult usage. <\/p>\n

Every. Single. One. https:\/\/t.co\/jAOk0mZno2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Senator Melissa Agard (@SenatorAgard) January 25, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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In November, a bipartisan pair of legislators introduced a bill to decriminalize low-level marijuana possession<\/a>.\u00a0In August, three senators separately filed legislation to\u00a0legalize cannabis for adult use in the state<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As it stands, marijuana possession is punishable by a maximum $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail for a first offense. People convicted of a subsequent offense would face a felony charge punishable by a maximum $10,000 fine and up to three and a half years in prison.<\/p>\n

Gov. Tony Evers (D) tried to legalize recreational and medical marijuana through his proposed state budget last year<\/a>, but a GOP-led legislative committee\u00a0stripped the cannabis language from the legislation<\/a>. Democrats tried to add the provisions back<\/a>\u00a0through an amendment the next month, but Republicans blocked the move.<\/p>\n

Other Republican lawmakers have\u00a0filed bills to more modestly decriminalize marijuana possession<\/a> in the state, but none of those proposals advanced during last year\u2019s session.<\/p>\n

Evers held a virtual town hall event last year where he discussed his cannabis proposal<\/a>, emphasizing that polling demonstrates that Wisconsin residents back the policy change.<\/p>\n

And in the interim as lawmakers pursue reform, the governor has issued more than 300 pardons<\/a> during his years in office, primarily to people convicted of non-violent marijuana or other drug offenses.<\/p>\n

\n

Colorado Activists File Revised Ballot Initiatives To Legalize Psilocybin And Establish \u2018Healing Centers\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis \/\/ Side Pocket Images.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Wisconsin Republicans Announce Limited Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Wisconsin Republicans Announce Limited Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than a dozen Republican Wisconsin lawmakers announced on Wednesday that they are filing a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state. Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R) and Rep. Patrick Snyder (R) are leading the bicameral effort, though advocates are already skeptical considering how the GOP-legislature has historically resisted andContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":52548,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52547"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52547"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52549,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52547\/revisions\/52549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}