GOP lawmakers in Wisconsin work to legalize medical marijuana

Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said a group of Republican lawmakers is working to build support for a medical cannabis program. Republicans in Wisconsin have long opposed legalizing marijuana. More than 60 percent of Wisconsin residents support full legalization of marijuana, according to a Marquette University Law School poll from 2022. Eighty percent support legalizing it for medical uses based on a 2019 survey.

So this would be medical marijuana, not recreational marijuana? Vos said he does not want to create a medical marijuana program that would lead to recreational legalization in the state. He said he is opposed to the recreational use of marijuana. Wisconsin’s Democratic Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard said Vos has promised to loosen marijuana restrictions before but has yet to follow through.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report in Compassion about states that recently voted to legalize marijuana, and how the results reflect concerns about the long-term consequences of legalization.