Laura Schulte
MADISON – Dozens of people convened on the state Capitol on Wednesday to testify in support of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, sharing personal stories about how access could improve their management of chronic health issues, cancer and other medical issues.
Lawmakers on Oct. 22 debated whether the provisions in a bill before the Senate Committee on Health were strict enough to gain the support of a majority of Republicans in both the Assembly and the Senate who have been wary of legalizing cannabis.
According to a co-sponsorship memo in September, the bill will "tightly regulate the cultivation, processing, testing and dispensing of medical cannabis to ensure patients have legal, safe and reliable access to a consistent product without breaking the law to obtain it."
Under the legislation, an Office of Medical Cannabis Regulation would be created to oversee the patient and caregiver registry and the dispensaries. Licenses would be required for growers, processors and testing laboratories. The legislation calls for a seed-to-sale database and an inventory tracking system. The legislation would also prohibit dispensaries from advertising to the general public, among other guidelines.
Republicans, including Senate President Mary Felzkowski of Tomahawk, introduced the measure.
But even with support from some Republicans, the bill is unlikely to move forward. Earlier this year, Republicans struck provisions that would legalize marijuana from Gov. Tony Evers' budget, and some leaders have indicated they will not support legalization without the establishment of a state-run program.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said earlier this month the bill is "way too broad" to pass his chamber.
“I have tried for five or six years to find a way to get to yes,” Vos said in an interview with WISN-TV. “The idea that we are going to have medical marijuana dispensaries in every city around the state, I don’t know that’s where most people are.”
He said there are concerns that the bill could create a pathway to legal recreational marijuana, which he opposes.
Marijuana legalization shows strong support with the public in Wisconsin.
In Marquette University Law School polling earlier this year, two-thirds of the 873 people surveyed said the drug should be legalized.
Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, said at the hearing it's time to allow medical marijuana in Wisconsin, as many other states already have.
He also shared an emotional story about how his family went outside state law to provide marijuana to his grandfather after he was diagnosed with lung cancer that had metastasized to bone cancer.
"It gave him his appetite back and it gave him time that he probably otherwise would not have had," he said. "That story is not unique to my family. We've heard this from countless families across the state, which is why I believe it's time for us to enact a sensible medical marijuana cannabis program here in the state."
Felzkowski said while she was fighting breast cancer for the second time 14 years ago, she was taking opioids to deal with the pain. But her doctor said that marijuana could have helped her avoid the opioid symptoms.
She wants others to have access to medical marijuana to help them avoid opioids in similar situations.
"Someone who suffers from a serious health condition should not have to make the choice to travel to another state or break the law so that they can try an alternative medicine for relief," she said. "Unfortunately, this is a position in which we put many Wisconsinites."
In addition to the tracking requirements, the bill would require marijuana sales to be conducted by pharmacists, like any other drug. Pharmacists would not be required to prescribe marijuana if they are uncomfortable.
"It is time to give our friends, family members and neighbors suffering from chronic illnesses the freedom to use medical cannabis," Felzkowski said. "Our hope is that this is a starting point in the conversation to get us to a point where we can get individuals comfortable with the concept."
Nora Lowe, a 17-year-old Merrimac resident who has Rhett Syndrome, encouraged lawmakers to support the bill, speaking via text-to-voice technology as she sat between her parents, Megan and Josh Lowe, in a wheelchair.
"I have many friends with Rett Syndrome, and they have access to medical cannabis. My friends with Rett syndrome who use medical cannabis actually sleep through the night and see extensive relief from painful muscle spasms," she said. "Why can't I get relief from mine?"
She said cannabis could also help improve her communication skills and help stop the frequency of episodes where she cannot breathe. Rhett Syndrome is a genetic neurological disorder that primarily affects girls.
"It is weird that every lawmaker I meet with, Democrat or Republican, they all agree that people like me deserve access to medical cannabis, yet we are still in the same place we were when I was 10 years old," she said.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
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