Colby Lamb
MADISON – Democratic legislative leaders hope to fully legalize marijuana in 2027 but have not settled on a timeframe or details about how it will be executed.
Democrats in the Badger State have a trifecta in state government for the first time in 16 years. One of the slew of issues likely to be addressed is the long-time battle over legalizing marijuana, both medicinal and recreational. Democrats have argued the state is losing millions in tax revenue.
When asked whether marijuana legalization would be signed into law through a stand-alone bill or in the upcoming state budget, incoming Senate Majority Leader Dianne Hesselbein said, "to be determined," at a Capitol press conference.
Incoming Assembly Speaker Greta Neubauer said at a separate press conference on Nov. 10 that marijuana legalization will be a top issue for her caucus.
"It's a priority for us, and we're figuring out exactly where it fits, but we do hope to pass marijuana legalization in the coming year," said Neubauer.
Democratic Gov.-elect David Crowley has repeatedly called for legalizing marijuana during his campaign for governor and has said he plans to use the tax revenue to fund some of his priorities, including expanding pre-kindergarten options.
"We have to go towards full legalization because this is [an] opportunity that we're missing out on as a state," Crowley said during the Oct. 21 debate hosted by WISN. "Look, Governor Pritzker literally thanks Wisconsin residents because they have made $30 million in sales tax collection just from Wisconsin residents."
Crowley took the same stance in a previous statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"Wisconsin is falling behind and losing hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue as residents cross state lines to purchase legal products and pay taxes in other states," Crowley said. "Legalization would allow us to regulate the market, set safety standards, and direct revenue toward priorities like education, health care and public safety."
During Crowley's time in the Legislature, he was one of the Democratic lawmakers to introduce the 2019 version of legalizing marijuana, permitting both recreational and medical uses.
Brandon Weathersby, a spokesman for Crowley, refused to ask Crowley questions sent by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel inquiring about Crowley's thoughts on the one-year timeframe suggested by Neubauer.
Incoming Senate Minority Leader Julian Bradley, a Republican from New Berlin, did not close the door to the idea.
"We've got to talk. We've got to see the bill. Hypotheticals I can't speak on today. Plain and simply, we've got to see what the language looks like, and we'll have discussions," he said at a news conference earlier this week.
Bradley did not respond to requests for a follow-up comment. Incoming Assembly Minority Leader Tyler August, R- Walworth did not respond to requests for comment.
Democrats have proposed marijuana legalization for 13 consecutive years, all of which were shut down by the GOP-controlled Legislature. Gov. Tony Evers has proposed decriminalizing recreational marijuana and creating a medical marijuana program.
The most recent bill from Democratic lawmakers was in February. The bill would have allowed anyone 21 or older to legally possess cannabis, and anyone 18 or older could possess it for medical purposes. The bill also would have allowed Wisconsinites to produce, process and sell it with a license. The bill officially died on March 23.
Wisconsin is one of six states to allow CBD oil only for medicinal purposes.
Twenty-four states have fully legalized marijuana; plus, Washington, D.C.; 15 states allow it for medicinal purposes; it is fully illegal but decriminalized in North Carolina and it is fully illegal in four states, according to the DISA Global Solutions Marijuana and THC Legality Map.
Jessie Opoien of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
Colby Lamb can be reached at clamb@usatodayco.com.
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