WINNEBAGO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Winnebago County Board narrowly decided voters will not be able to express their opinions on marijuana legalization this November.
Supervisor Brian Defferding was one of several board member to introduce the resolution for a referendum, which would ask voters how they feel about legalization.
An advisory referendum is not legally binding. It’s meant to send a message to lawmakers.
“It states simply put, cannabis should A, be legal and decriminalized and taxed and regulated similarly to alcohol. Or B, legal for medical purposes only, C, still punishable under current law, or D, none of the above,” Defferding told FOX 11.
After debate, 18 supervisors voted against the referendum, and 16 in favor.
“Drug use of any kind, and alcohol use of any kind does not usually make people’s lives better. It’s kind of a slippery slope. We start doing one type of drug, we do another type of drug. Alcohol is the same way. Have a little bit, sometimes people get carried away with it,” Supervisor Michael Brunn said.
“We’ve been fighting this war on drugs for almost 100 years, and we’re not winning it. We need to concentrate on hard, addictive substances like opioids and stop filling our jails and prisons and courts with those people who are possessing small amounts of marijuana for their own use,” Supervisor Karen Powers said.
Could a referendum like the one that failed Tuesday actually lead to change?
FOX 11 reached out to Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald’s office to see if the legislature would consider taking action on legalizing marijuana. We did not hear back.
A medical marijuana bill was introduced to the legislature in September.
Fitzgerald opposed it, telling FOX 11 in September:
Everyone knows that medical marijuana leads to legalized marijuana. We’ve already seen that some states with easier access to marijuana have seen an increase in emergency room visits and impaired driving accidents. I don’t support this plan and I think that it’s going to be a tough sell to a majority of my caucus.
In 2018, 16 Wisconsin Counties endorsed legalizing marijuana for either recreational or medical use.
Brown County was one of those, with 76% of voters in favor of medical legalization.
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