MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – After years of being unable to pass legislation to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin, a new proposal looks to do just that.
“Very similar to what some states do relative to their liquor laws,” Republican Representative John Macco said. “State run dispensaries with the pharmacist being state employees.”
It’s an issue that hits close to home for Macco.
“My wife had terminal cancer for 14 years,” Macco said. “She passed away two and a half years ago and one of the things that gave her respite was access to medical marijuana.”
For Democrats and advocacy groups, its benefits like these that make marijuana legalization a no brainer.
“This isn’t something where we have to wonder what is going to happen,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “We know what the results are going to be.”
On Wednesday, assembly speaker Robin Vos said Republicans had been engaging in conversation behind closed doors.
“The speaker had a special task force put together and there was about a half a dozen of us that were on that committee and we’ve been working diligently over the last nine months or so,” Macco said.
Recognizing the benefits of medical legalization is about as far as agreements go for the two sides. Armentano said if lawmakers were serious about serving their constituents, they’d go one step further.
“If you ask voters if they believe marijuana should be illegal or if they want to see marijuana legal for adults, the majority of voters say yes,” Armentano said. “They should not only be looking at regulating medical cannabis access, they should be looking at regulating marijuana access.”
However, other state Republicans like David Steffen, have made it clear — that won’t be happening any time soon.
“This will under no circumstances be a step in the direction of recreational marijuana,” Steffen said. “That will not be happening in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin is one of just 12 states that has yet to legalize marijuana in any form.
“No state that’s legalized medical marijuana access has ever repealed or even rolled back their laws,” Armentano said. “Some of these state policies have been in place now almost three decades. So there’s no need to reinvent the wheel here.”
Macco said the current discussions have outlined about 30 different conditions that would make a person eligible for treatment under the bill. That equates to roughly 50,000 users. The legislation would also specifically ban the use of smokable versions of medical marijuana.
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