A bid to bring legalization to the Badger State started in earnest last week, with Democratic lawmakers in Wisconsin announcing legislation on Sept. 22 that would end the prohibition on recreational cannabis. The bill was introduced by state Sen. Melissa Agard and state House Rep. Darrin B. Madison. Agard, who is the minority leader in the Wisconsin state Senate, announced the legislation at an event held at a Wisconsin hemp farm and said that the status quo poses more harm… Read more.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is still committed to legalizing marijuana, even though his latest attempt was shot down earlier this year by state Republican legislators. Evers said this week that an “overwhelming majority of Wisconsinites support” regulating cannabis like alcohol, according to La Crosse TV station WLAX. “It’s time to join red and blue states across the country and get this done,” Evers posted on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter. Medical and adult-use marijuana remain illegal in Wisconsin despite the governor’s efforts.… Read more.
Marijuana sales along state lines are key revenue generators for retail operators in the United States, and new insights suggest a similar business bump along international borders, particularly Mexico. Data compiled by New York-based wholesale technology platform LeafLink – as well as information gathered from state agencies, quarterly reports and interviews with several cannabis companies – bear that out. LeafLink analyzed hundreds of ZIP codes at the request of MJBizDaily and found strong links that when new recreational markets open, retailers near… Read more.
Surrounded By Legal Weed, Wisconsin Democrats Urge Change – Why Spend Money In Other States? Wisconsin residents face a dilemma since they live in a state that strictly enforces marijuana prohibition while surrounding areas reap the benefits of legalization. This contrast has prompted Wisconsin Democrats to advocate for change, presenting a basic question: Why should Wisconsinites continue to export their money to other states when their own economy could thrive with a change in cannabis policy? The recent adoption of recreational marijuana… Read more.
A top Wisconsin Republican lawmaker says his party is aiming to file a long-discussed, but as yet unseen, medical marijuana bill this fall. The comment comes as Democrats draw attention to the fact that the state is now an island of prohibition in the region, with one legislator visiting a dispensary and buying cannabis in nearby Michigan over the weekend. As Minnesota’s marijuana legalization law went into effect last week, Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) said that his caucus “is crafting… Read more.
When the top Wisconsin Democratic senator met with key Biden administration officials at the White House on Thursday, she took the opportunity to discuss marijuana reform issues such as the ongoing review of its federal scheduling status and efforts to repair the harms of cannabis criminalization. Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) and other members of the chamber’s Democratic caucus convened in Washington, D.C. to talk about their legislative priorities and hear from the officials about ways the Biden administration’s… Read more.
The Wisconsin Senate has rejected two amendments to a budget bill that would have legalized marijuana—putting lawmakers on record about the popular voter-supported policy. After Republican senators stripped cannabis provisions from the governor’s budget in committee last month, Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) gave the full chamber a chance to enact the reform, with one omnibus amendment that would have restored several administrative priorities including marijuana legalization and another clean measure focused exclusively on legalizing cannabis. The standalone marijuana reform amendment… Read more.
Wisconsin Republican lawmakers have removed proposals to legalize marijuana for recreational and medical use from the governor’s executive budget for the 2023-2025 biennial. At a hearing of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday, members voted 12-4 to eliminate numerous provisions of Gov. Tony Evers’s (D) budget request, including measures on legalizing, taxing and regulating cannabis in the state. The move was expected, as the GOP-controlled legislature has previously stripped marijuana reform language from past executive budgets, and top Republican lawmakers warned that any… Read more.
Wisconsin has a chance to enact a relatively 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 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… Read more.
According to a recent state estimate, Illinois has collected a whopping $36 million in tax revenue from Wisconsin residents crossing the border to purchase marijuana in Illinois, where cannabis use has been legalized. This astounding number highlights the tremendous effect legalization could have on the state economy and attitudes toward marijuana use. It's important to remember that Wisconsin is one of the few states where lawmakers have not approved the use of marijuana in any way. Contrarily, 37 states currently have medical cannabis… Read more.
Wisconsin residents purchased more than $121 million worth of marijuana from legal retailers in neighboring Illinois in 2022, contributing about $36 million in tax revenue to the state, according to a legislative analysis requested by a top Wisconsin senator. Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D), who has sponsored legalization legislation in past sessions, asked the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) to study just how much money was flowing from Wisconsin to Illinois in the form of out-of-state cannabis purchases. LFB… Read more.