Wisconsin has a chance to enact a\u00a0relatively limited medical marijuana law this session, a bipartisan pair of lawmakers said in a joint appearance at a policy event on Friday.<\/p>\n
Sens. Mary Felzkowski (R) and Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) spoke during a webinar<\/a> hosted by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum. The group noted beforehand that a recent analysis it conducted found that more than half of all Wisconsin adults currently live within a 75-minute drive of a legal cannabis shop in Illinois or Michigan.<\/p>\n Agard, who has repeatedly introduced bills to legalize marijuana over the past decade, said that while many lawmakers\u2014as well as Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D)\u2014support a regulated market for adult use, full legalization would likely be a nonstarter for leadership in the GOP-controlled legislature.<\/p>\n \u201cI am not delusional,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is Wisconsin. I\u2019m a Democrat. Democratic bills don\u2019t even get public hearings, even when they\u2019re great ideas, because of the way our government is working\u2014or not working.\u201d<\/p>\n At the beginning of Wisconsin\u2019s last two-year legislative session, in 2021, Agard unveiled a legalization bill just across the border in Illinois<\/a>, outside a cannabis store in South Beloit.<\/p>\n During Friday\u2019s event, the top Democratic senator referenced polling showing that most voters in Wisconsin back adult-use marijuana legalization<\/a>. \u201cThis is on a laundry list of issues that the majority of the people in Wisconsin would like us to be able to move forward,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Republican Felzkowski, who\u2019s sponsored medical cannabis legislation in the past<\/a>, said she\u2019s personally \u201cvery, very focused on getting medical marijuana across the finish line the session.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to force people that feel they need cannabis or have had good results with cannabis into doing something illegal for their medical needs,\u201d Felzkowski, a breast cancer survivor, said. While many people might be able drive to Michigan, Illinois or, potentially soon Minnesota<\/a> to legally obtain marijuana, she added \u201cit\u2019s still illegal in Wisconsin.\u201d<\/p>\n Felzkowski said lawmakers would need to be pragmatic if they want to pass a medical bill in the state, \u201cbut I do think it\u2019s something we can get done this session.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna tell you right now, it\u2019s not going to be the bill that I would put out if I were queen for a day,\u201d she added. \u201cThat\u2019s always my statement. But compromise is the word of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n A number of stakeholder groups are currently weighing in on the forthcoming medical legalization proposal, Felzkowski said, including the law enforcement and medical communities.<\/p>\n In response to a question submitted my Marijuana Moment, the GOP senator detailed some of the concessions that would need to be made in order to get a medical cannabis bill passed.<\/p>\n \u201cSmoking is off the table for our caucuses,\u201d she noted, pointing to concerns about children and secondhand smoke. Another need would be \u201cto make sure that the delivery systems are\u2014I\u2019m going to use the word conservative\u2014so they are only being delivered to the person with the medical card.\u201d<\/p>\n Republicans are also intent that qualifying conditions for medical marijuana be narrowly defined. \u201cThey want to make sure that the conditions that are out there are the conditions that should be out there,\u201d as Felzkowski put it. \u201cOne of the things that we had in our past legislation is that any additional conditions would be approved by the medical examining board. I don\u2019t know if that will be in the final bill, but that was one of the concessions.\u201d<\/p>\n Our guests will include 2 of the Wisconsin Legislature\u2019s leading voices on marijuana policy, @MaryFelzkowski<\/a> & @SenatorAgard<\/a> \u2014 who\u2019ll discuss what may be in store during the 2023-24 session.<\/p>\n Also joining us: Dr. David Galbis-Reig on behalf of @WisMed<\/a> Society. pic.twitter.com\/QfLRP4qyZi<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Wisconsin Policy Forum (@WisPolicyForum) March 30, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The two lawmakers were joined on the webinar by Dr. David Galbis-Reig, the immediate past president of the Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine, who shared both his understanding of available scientific evidence as well as what he\u2019d seen in his own practice.<\/p>\n Galbis-Reig is an addiction medicine specialist who mostly sees patients in an inpatient hospital setting in southeast Wisconsin that he described as \u201cright across the border with Illinois.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMarijuana has been around for a long time. I mean, we\u2019re kidding ourselves if we think that it was not around just because it\u2019s not legal,\u201d he said. If lawmakers choose to legalize the drug, he said it is \u201cgoing to shift the source of a lot of the marijuana that we see locally.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs it good or bad? I can\u2019t speak to that,\u201d he continued. \u201cI mean, you know, the biggest challenge with any of these substances is ensuring quality and purity, if someone\u2019s going to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n Galbis-Reig said legalization would undoubtedly bring new questions that need to be answered, but he doubted that it would be a disaster. \u201cI\u2019m not saying it\u2019s going to be a nightmare by any stretch,\u201d he said. \u201cBut there are going to be some public health concerns that can occur with a change in policy, and people need to be at the table to discuss those things.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Agard and Felzkowski agreed that safety of cannabis products is one of the most pressing reasons to end the state\u2019s prohibition.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been saying for quite some time that the most dangerous thing about cannabis in Wisconsin is that it remains illegal,\u201d Agard said. \u201cProhibition did not work with alcohol, it didn\u2019t work with margarine, and it\u2019s not working with cannabis policy.\u201d<\/p>\n During the so-called \u201coleo run\u201d<\/a> of the 1950s and \u201960s, Wisconsin families crossed the border into Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa to buy margarine after sales within the state were outlawed to protect dairy farmers.<\/p>\n Similar trends seem to be happening with cannabis.<\/p>\n A report last month from the state\u2019s nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, requested by Agard, determined that Wisconsin residents spent $121.2 million on marijuana from legal retailers in Illinois<\/a> during 2022 alone. About $36 million of that went to Illinois\u2019s government through tax revenue. Some lawmakers see that as a loss for Wisconsin\u2019s own coffers.<\/p>\n Galbis-Reig, the addiction medicine specialist, said that if lawmakers choose to legalize and tax marijuana, revenue should be spent on drug education programs for youth and more accessible treatment for patients who need it.<\/p>\n He said that while some patients do develop substance use disorder with cannabis, those account for only a fraction of his cases. \u201cCannabis represents a small proportion of inpatient, in the sense that it\u2019s not why they\u2019re coming in,\u201d the physician explained. \u201cPatients come in for other reasons, and cannabis use happens to be a co-occurring condition. And in most cases it\u2019s not necessarily a use disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCannabis is usually not the substance that\u2019s causing the majority of their problems. It\u2019s typically alcohol or cocaine or opiates,\u201d he added. And when patients are admitted for cannabis specifically, they\u2019re typically under the age of 25.<\/p>\n As for whether legalization would lead to increased youth use, Galbis-Reig said that his experience didn\u2019t indicate it would. \u201cThe younger folks, the uptake\u2014I haven\u2019t seen a clear increase in uptake of cannabis locally,\u201d he said. \u201cI work in southeastern Wisconsin, right across the border from Illinois. So despite recreational use, I mean, I haven\u2019t seen an increase in uptake.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Gov. Tony Evers (D) released his biennial budget request<\/a> earlier this year, and it again included language to legalize medical and recreational marijuana in the state. A top GOP lawmaker had previously warned that taking that step could compromise negotiations<\/a>\u00a0on more modest medical cannabis legislation.<\/p>\n Agard said at the time that \u201cif Republicans choose to remove it from the budget, I will once again introduce my bill to achieve this goal,\u201d adding that it\u2019s \u201chigh time we get this done for the betterment of our state and the people living here.\u201d<\/p>\n Evers has said for years that he\u2019s tired of hearing about sales figures from his southern neighbor\u2019s adult use market. He\u2019s previously joked<\/a> that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) \u201cthanks me for having Wisconsinites cross the border to buy marijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n Evers also tried to legalize recreational and medical marijuana through his proposed state budget in 2021<\/a>, but a GOP-led legislative committee stripped the cannabis language<\/a> from the legislation. Democrats tried to add the provisions back<\/a> through an amendment, but Republicans, who control the legislature, blocked the move.<\/p>\n Rep. Evan Goyke (D) at the time urged colleagues on the other side of the aisle at the time to \u201cstop running from this debate.\u201d<\/p>\n While Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) said in January that trying to enact adult-use legalization through the budget could \u201cpoison the well\u201d in the legislature, jeopardizing talks on medical cannabis, the leader of the Senate has expressed that he thinks the more modest policy is feasible this session<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOur caucus is getting pretty close on medical marijuana,\u201d Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R) said. \u201cA lot of our members, who are maybe at a point where they can vote for it now, they just want to make sure it\u2019s regulated well.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor said recently that he was encouraged by the Senate leader\u2019s remarks about nearing consensus on medical marijuana,\u00a0and he\u2019s prepared to sign such legislation<\/a>\u00a0as long as it\u2019s not \u201cflawed\u201d by including too many restrictions.<\/p>\n Evers didn\u2019t bring up his legalization proposal in his budget speech this year, but he did stress in his inaugural address in January<\/a>\u00a0that the state needs to have a \u201cmeaningful conversation about treating marijuana much like we do alcohol.\u201d<\/p>\n Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R) has said legalization is\u00a0\u201clikely\u201d to happen at some point<\/a>\u2014but the legislature has so far failed to pass even more\u00a0modest proposals like decriminalization<\/a>\u00a0or the\u00a0legalization of medical cannabis<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ahead of the November election, Evers met with college students and\u00a0urged supporters to get engaged and vote<\/a>, in part to ensure that the state advances marijuana legalization.<\/p>\n If Democrats had won enough seats, it could have also set them up to\u00a0pass a resolution that the governor introduced<\/a>\u00a0to allow citizens to put initiatives on the ballot. Advocates expressed hope that the move could open the door to finally letting voters decide on marijuana legalization, but it\u2019s unlikely that GOP lawmakers will go along with it.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, voters across the state have been\u00a0making their voices heard on cannabis reform<\/a>\u00a0over the past several election cycles. Most recently, voters in three counties and five municipalities across the state\u00a0approved non-binding advisory questions<\/a>\u00a0on their local ballots in support of legalization.<\/p>\n The local votes are largely meant to serve a messaging purpose, providing lawmakers with a clear policy temperature-check among their constituents. But those that were approved will not change any laws by themselves.<\/p>\n A statewide poll released in August found that a solid 69 percent of registered voters in Wisconsin\u00a0believe that cannabis should be legal<\/a>. That includes 81 percent of Democrats, 75 percent of independents and 51 percent of Republicans.<\/p>\n Republicans filed a limited medical cannabis bill last year\u2014and it\u00a0got a hearing on the unofficial marijuana holiday 4\/20<\/a>, but that came too late in the legislative session for lawmakers to actually vote on the measure.<\/p>\n Other GOP members have\u00a0filed bills to more modestly decriminalize marijuana possession<\/a>\u00a0in the state, but none of those proposals advanced.<\/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 The governor vetoed a GOP-led bill last year that would have\u00a0significantly ramped up criminal penalties<\/a>\u00a0for people who use butane or similar fuels to extract marijuana.<\/p>\n And in the interim as lawmakers pursue reform,\u00a0the governor has issued hundreds of pardons<\/a>\u00a0during his years in office, primarily to people convicted of non-violent marijuana or other drug offenses.<\/p>\n Illinois Senate Passes Bill To Block Police From Searching Cars Based On Marijuana Smell<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Carlos Gracia<\/a><\/p>\n The post Bipartisan Wisconsin Lawmakers Say Medical Marijuana Is Possible This Session, But It Will Need To Include Serious Limitations<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Wisconsin has a chance to enact a\u00a0relatively limited medical marijuana law this session, a bipartisan pair of lawmakers said in a joint appearance at a policy event on Friday. Sens. Mary Felzkowski (R) and Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) spoke during a webinar hosted by the nonpartisan Wisconsin PolicyContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63359"}],"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\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63359"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63360,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63359\/revisions\/63360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Bipartisan Wisconsin Lawmakers Say Medical Marijuana Is Possible This Session, But It Will Need To Include Serious Limitations<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"