- Wisconsin Republicans have proposed a plan to legalize medical marijuana after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers recently endorsed a plan to legalize medical marijuana.
- The proposed bill would limit the use of medical marijuana to seriously ill patients with chronic illnesses such as cancer.
- Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the plan presented represents the maximum scope for Republican support.
Wisconsin Republicans on Monday announced a highly limited plan to legalize medical marijuana in the state, a plan years in the making and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' approval of the plan. The announcement comes less than a week after he announced his support for the
The bill would limit medical marijuana use to only seriously ill patients with chronic illnesses such as cancer, a far cry from full legalization, something Evers and Democrats have failed to pass for years. Still, Evers said last week that he supports creating a medical marijuana program if it's all that can be done now.
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the program detailed in the bill announced Monday is within the capabilities of Congressional Republicans. Republicans hold a 64-35 majority in the House and a 22-11 majority in the Senate. Last year, Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said a bill creating a medical marijuana program would pass this Congress as long as regulations were introduced to ensure it was limited to only people with severe pain. He said it was possible.
Wisconsin Republican government constantly considering medical marijuana legalization proposal
The bill announced Monday would make marijuana available to people who have been diagnosed with certain conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, severe muscle spasms, chronic pain and nausea; It is restricted to people with a terminal illness who have been ill for less than a year. live.
Republican U.S. Rep. John Plummer reveals the Republican proposal to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin during a Capitol Hill press conference in Madison, Wis., Jan. 8, 2024. announced a very limited plan to legalize medical marijuana. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
Patients must see a doctor to obtain marijuana at one of only five state-run dispensaries. Republican Rep. John Plummer said at a news conference that the number of pharmacies could increase.
“We want to make this available to people, but we also want to tightly control it,” Plummer said.
Recreational marijuana is legal in neighboring states of Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan.
Vos said the bill was modeled after the medical marijuana law that was in place in Minnesota before it moved to full legalization.
The bill must pass the House and Senate and be signed by Evers to take effect.
Mr. Evers and Mr. LeMahieu did not respond to requests for comment on the measure.
In a potential warning sign for the bill's chances of passage in the Senate, Congressional Republicans plan to do so without the involvement of Republican Sen. Mary Felzkowski, the biggest advocate of medical marijuana legalization in the Senate. It was created. Her 2022 bill is the only bill to receive a hearing in Congress.
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While expressing support for the initiative last week, Evers said he had not seen the actual bill.
“I think it's smarter to do it all at once in terms of meeting the needs of the people of Wisconsin who have been asking for it,” Evers said. “But if that's what we can accomplish now, I support it.”
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.
A Marquette University Law School poll shows that a majority of Wisconsin residents have long supported legalizing marijuana use.
