- Wisconsin Republicans are facing difficulty reaching agreement on medical marijuana legalization.
- Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said she has no intention of compromising with state Senate Republicans on concerns about detailed legislation.
- Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu deemed the bill's creation of a state-run pharmacy a “miss.”
Wisconsin Republicans appear to be at an impasse over a plan to legalize medical marijuana.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Tuesday she would not compromise to address state Senate Republicans' concerns about her proposal. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said last week that the bill's proposal to create a state-run pharmacy is “not a jump start.”
“After months of negotiations, we have proposed a very detailed bill that will get the minimum 50 votes needed to pass within the Republican Party,” Vos said at a news conference.
Wisconsin government submits medical marijuana bill Ever's Voice Support
“Adopting the bill and renegotiating it probably means losing votes in the caucus,” Vos said. “So I want to keep the promise we made to create a comprehensive bill that could actually become law, rather than some fancy idea that someday someone might support but will never actually become.” I want to convince you to protect it.”
On January 8, 2024, at a Congressional press conference in Madison, Wisconsin, Republican Representative John Plummer announced the Republican Party's proposal to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin. Lawmakers are facing difficulty reaching agreement on medical marijuana legalization. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer, File)
LeMahieu said last week that he was open to changes to the bill to find a compromise that could pass in the Senate.
This extremely restrictive bill would limit the use of medical marijuana to seriously ill patients with chronic illnesses such as cancer, and would only allow dispensing in five state-run locations. Smokable marijuana is not permitted.
Wisconsin Republican government constantly considering medical marijuana legalization proposal
The proposal would restrict the use of marijuana to people who have been diagnosed with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, HIV or AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, severe muscle spasms, chronic pain or nausea; and will be restricted to people with terminal illnesses and for less than a year. Years left to live.
Wisconsin remains a national outlier. Thirty-eight states have legalized medical marijuana and 24 states have legalized recreational marijuana. As Wisconsin's neighbors loosen their laws, the push for legalization in Wisconsin is gaining momentum.
The bill must pass the Senate and Assembly and be signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to become law. Evers, who like many Democrats supports full legalization, said this month that he supports only medical marijuana, but did not commit to the Legislature's plan.
