With Medical Marijuana Legislators Ignore Voters Will Again

Republican lawmakers held a public hearing Wednesday on a plan that would legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin, a step they described as significant even though the Legislature has already adjourned for the year and the pecker won't pass.

The debate over medical marijuana has languished for years in Wisconsin, which is quickly becoming an island among Midwest states when it comes to marijuana regulation. Xxx-seven states let for the medical use of cannabis products, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. A total of xviii states as well let for the auction of recreational marijuana, including Illinois and Michigan.

Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma, introduced a bill in Jan that would legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes with several restrictions. She introduced a similar plan in 2019. Neither measure went anywhere.

Felzkowski stressed at Wednesday'due south hearing that she was focused on winning support for the plan next yr from Republicans who run the Legislature. Those lawmakers, she said, were non prepare to discuss legalizing recreational marijuana.

"This is a hearing on medical — medical — marijuana only," Felzkowski said. "This is non the time nor the place to discuss recreational marijuana."

Simply Felzkowski made information technology clear she thinks medical marijuana should be an pick in Wisconsin, maxim she wished it had been an option when she was undergoing breast cancer treatment in 2014. During testimony, Felzkowski described treating her symptoms with a variety of prescription drugs, 1 of which she said fabricated it experience like her basic were beingness "shredded" within her body.

"It'southward almost like I went through six months of a fog. And I know there'southward a lot of other people out there with (multiple sclerosis) and other things that suffer," Felzkowski said. "I call up it's brutal that nosotros don't allow them the opportunity to endeavour something that may not have those side effects."

Felzkowski's bill would create a Medical Marijuana Regulatory Commission inside the land Department of Acquirement to oversee Wisconsin's medical marijuana program. Members would exist chosen past the governor and legislative leaders from both parties.

Information technology would let physician assistants, certified avant-garde practice nurse prescribers and doctors prescribe medical marijuana for patients suffering from qualifying medical conditions.

Medical marijuana could exist in the form of a liquid oil or pill but could not be smoked nether the plan. Marijuana producers would have to send samples of their products to a state lab to test and certify the content of THC, the drug in marijuana that gives users a high.

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The state would revenue enhancement marijuana at 10 percent of the sales price. State regulators would be allowed to make surprise inspections of facilities where marijuana is grown or sold. Marijuana producers would not be allowed to take any fiscal involvement in a marijuana dispensary.

Despite the restrictions, it's unclear whether the program has any better chance of passing the Legislature side by side year. The Wisconsin Medical Society, which has fought previous medical marijuana bills, opposes Felzkowski'southward programme.

"While studies take shown that some chemicals in marijuana seem to take a positive effect on people with chronic pain and help alleviate cancer patients' nausea and ambition issues, nearly of the threescore+ agile cannabinoids in marijuana are not well studied," read a statement from Wisconsin Medical Gild lobbyist Marker Grapentine. "Until science tin can determine which elements in grown marijuana are potentially therapeutic and which are potentially harmful, whatever 'medical' marijuana program is at all-time a pale imitation of true medical therapies developed through scientific research."

Some Democrats were also critical of Felzkowski for property a hearing on her bill after the Legislature was already adjourned, and the bill was already expressionless.

"Today's simulated hearing gives patients false hope that Republicans program to do anything to help them access their medicine this session and is merely a political ploy," read a joint argument from Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-W Point, and Rep. Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton.

Erpenbach cosponsored the last medical marijuana bill to receive a hearing in the Legislature in 2009, the last year Democrats ran all of land regime.

While medical marijuana has been a tough sell in Wisconsin land government, the public strongly supports information technology. A 2022 Marquette University Constabulary School poll plant 83 pct of voters favored medical marijuana.

More recently, a February Marquette poll constitute 61 percent of Wisconsin voters favored legalizing recreational marijuana, including majorities of both Republicans and Democrats. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposed legalizing recreational marijuana in his last country budget proposal, but Republicans rejected the idea.

The hearing on the plan was held on April 20, known as 420 day amongst marijuana advocates. Felzkowski said she didn't realize the significance of the day when the hearing was scheduled.

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Source: https://www.wpr.org/wisconsin-lawmakers-hold-hearing-medical-marijuana-bill-it-wont-pass-year