Wisconsin presents a new project to legalize cannabis for adults

Last week, Wisconsin's Democratic legislators announced a bill that would end the ban on recreational cannabis.

Melissa Agard, Minority Leader in the Senate of State of Wisconsin, announced the bill at an event at a Wisconsin hemp farm and declared the status quo more harmful than cannabis.

«I've said it many times, we know the most dangerous thing about cannabis in Wisconsin is that it remains illegal,» Agard said, quoted by the local news channel WSAW. «Over the past decade, I've worked to undo Wisconsin's outdated and deeply unfair cannabis policies and put our state on the path to prosperity.»

Under the proposal, Wisconsin adults aged 21 and over would be able to legally possess cannabis. The measure would also lay the groundwork for a legal, regulated cannabis market in the state, like many of its neighbors.

«Right now, we're watching our hard-earned money cross the border into Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota, amounting to tens of millions of dollars every year. That's money we could be reinvesting to help our friends and neighbors and make our state a place where people want to live, work and play,» Agard said, as quoted by WSAW.

In a press release, Darrin Madison, the congressman carrying the bill, said cannabis legalization «is a matter of public safety and racial justice here in Wisconsin.».

«Wisconsin residents engage in cannabis use and deserve to be able to purchase safe cannabis and use it responsibly without being criminalized. According to the ACLU, Blacks were 4.24 times more likely to be arrested than whites in Wisconsin in 2018. Similar disparities exist in convictions, resulting in immeasurable harm to Wisconsin's black communities. The bill we introduced today lays a solid foundation for those who have been severely convicted on nonviolent possession charges and the ramifications of those convictions,» said Mr. Madison.

Polls also show that Wisconsin residents are in favor of legalizing cannabis.

«Wisconsin is ready to legalize cannabis: 69 % of Wisconsin residents, including a majority of Republicans, support the full legalization of cannabis. It's high time our state respected the will of the majority and seized the many economic and social benefits cannabis legalization has to offer. Let's join the people in more than half the country who said ‘yes’ to put the flawed politics of prohibition behind us, and set our expectations higher,» said Agard in a press release.

The Republican-controlled state legislature, however, may not be ready. Despite widespread public support and that of Democratic Governor Tony Evers, Wisconsin's Republican legislators have so far opposed legalization.

«Redemption and forgiveness have power, especially for people who have worked hard to overcome their past mistakes to become productive, positive members of their community,» Mr. Evers said in a statement released at the time. «I'm grateful to be able to give a second chance to these people who have worked hard to achieve it.

Early last year, Mr. Evers vetoed a Democratic-backed measure that would have imposed harsher penalties on people arrested for drug use, calling it «another step in the wrong direction».

«I veto this bill in its entirety because I oppose the creation of additional criminal offenses or penalties related to marijuana use,» Mr. Evers said in 2022 in a letter to the assembly.

«It is widely recognized, and research over the past decade confirms, that the criminalization of cannabis has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color, particularly in Wisconsin, where incarceration rates have long-standing racial disparities,» Evers added.

Mr. Evers concluded his letter by explaining his interest in justice reform.

«States across our country, whether controlled by Democrats or Republicans, have taken and are taking meaningful steps to combat rising incarceration rates and reduce racial disparities by investing in drug treatment, community re-entry programs, alternatives to incarceration, rehabilitation and other data- and evidence-based practices that we know are critical solutions to reforming our justice system,» the governor continued on the issue. «The data and science are clear on this issue, and I urge the legislature to begin serious conversations about justice reform in Wisconsin.».