Tennessee Democrats revive 'Pot for Potholes Act'

Did Virginia mistakenly legalize selling marijuana?

pot will kill you

Wauwatosa business calls for lawmakers to save hemp

From JSOnline:

Gina Lee Castro

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A heat wave didn't stop hemp supporters from rallying to save the industry in Wisconsin June 29. Erin Kelly, the owner of Kelly's Greens Cannabis Boutique and Cafe in Wauwatosa, hosted a "Save Hemp Rally" to raise awareness of the incoming hemp ban and pressure state lawmakers to take action.

"We're all here to ask for a state plan from the state of Wisconsin," Kelly told the crowd, which spent the evening enduring a heat index around 100. "We need to protect not only 3,500 jobs but a $700 million industry [in Wisconsin]."

Late last year, President Donald Trump signed a strict set of federal hemp regulations into law – effectively banning most hemp products sold throughout Wisconsin and the U.S. Hemp gummies, vapes and flower products – no matter the type of THC – will be limited to 0.4 milligrams of THC per container. This law goes into effect in November.

More: What to know about new federal law banning most THC products in Wisconsin

Both Republican and Democrat state lawmakers proposed bills that would keep hemp legal in Wisconsin, but none made it over the hill. Lawmakers couldn't agree on how to regulate the largely unregulated industry before the legislative session closed. State law doesn't have age restriction for hemp, set packaging requirements or require product testing.

Kelly says her cafe – along with other Wisconsin hemp businesses – will have to shut their doors in November. But Kelly hasn't given up hope.

She said lawmakers told her they’re deep in campaign season and can't pass hemp laws until January 2027. She invited Milwaukee and Milwaukee County officials, gubernatorial candidates and others running for office to the rally to develop a plan to be ready by then.

Rep. Robyn Vining, D-Wauwatosa, one of the speakers, says chief of her concerns are protecting children. She says children shouldn't be able to purchase hemp products and products shouldn't look identical to candy – an issue she's heard from the Wisconsin Poison Center. However, some hemp businesses like Kelly's Greens require customers be 21 years or older to purchase.

"Let's legalize, let's regulate and let's protect Wisconsin kids," Vining said.

More: Nobody knows if Wisconsin hemp products are safe or legal. So we tested them.

Supporters say hemp is medicinal, an alternative to alcohol

If hemp becomes illegal, Andy Boinski, 35, will lose his job as a hemp sales representative. Kaytlin Lovely, 29, his partner, will lose her medicine. They hope events like this rally will challenge the stereotypes around hemp.

"People aren't using this just to get high and sit on the couch," Boinski said. "People are using these for health reasons like anxiety, pain relief and chronic illnesses."

Lovely says hemp gummies give her relief from the nausea and vomiting that comes with her Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. Her prescribed medications aren't as effective as hemp, she said.

Jake Noggle, 34, and Miranda Zielinski, 31, say Kelly's Greens hemp business brought life to a long-vacant building on West North Avenue in Wauwatosa and partnered with local businesses like Venture Brew Co.

The couple isn't a fan of drinking alcohol. Noggle says Wisconsin could stand to drink less.

"Alcohol is substantially more dangerous in overconsumption here," Noggle said. "It's nice to see an alternative."

THC seltzers, on the other hand, is one way they can still enjoy the bar scene. These drinks give them a buzz without that hangover.

"In our 30s, hangovers are not good anymore," Zielinski said. "They're like a two-day thing now."

Gina Castro is a Public Investigator reporter. She can be reached at GCastro@usatodayco.com.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/public-investigator/2026/06/30/wauwatosa-business-community-react-to-incoming-hemp-ban/90714677007/

Supreme Court: Habitual marijuana users CANNOT be banned from owning guns

Trump move to loosen law on cannabis is 'huge shift' for US: experts

What marijuana’s reclassification means for public health and businesses

Cannabis legalization debate shifts as federal reclassification looms

Where the cannabis industry stands in 2026

Is Wisconsin losing millions to states where cannabis is legal?

From JSOnline:

Madeline Heim

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel collaborated with Wisconsin Watch to develop this fact brief. Wisconsin Watch is a member of the Gigafact program, newsrooms across the U.S. that deliver bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read more about our methodology atjsonline.com/FactBriefMethods.

Yes

Cannabis isn’t legal in Wisconsin, so residents are purchasing it in states where it is, generating tax money for those states. 

Wisconsin borders three states with legal recreational cannabis: Michigan, which legalized it in 2018; Illinois, which legalized it in 2019; and Minnesota, which legalized it in 2023. 

Illinois tracks cannabis sales by in-state versus out-of-state purchasers. A 2023 analysis from Wisconsin’s nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau found that Illinois collected $36.1 million in tax revenue in 2022 from out-of-state residents who purchased cannabis in counties bordering Wisconsin.

About half of cannabis sales in 2022 at dispensaries in Illinois counties that border Wisconsin were to out-of-state residents, the analysis found. 

Michigan and Minnesota do not track nonresident cannabis purchases. 

In Michigan, marijuana tax revenue is shared with local governments and tribes, as well as the state’s School Aid and Transportation funds.

This fact brief responds to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Ballotpedia, Michigan Proposal 1, Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2018)

National Public Radio, Illinois Governor Signs Law Legalizing Recreational Use Of Marijuana

Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management, Cannabis law

Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Illinois adult use cannabis monthly sales figures

Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Illinois Marijuana Tax Collections on Sales and Estimated Wisconsin Residents

Email with Jim Walker, public information officer, Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management 

Email with David Harns, public relations manager, Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency 

Michigan Department of Treasury, Adult-Use Marijuana Distributions Based on Marijuana Revenues Collected in Fiscal Year 2025 February 2026 

Michigan Legislature, Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act (excerpt)

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/factcheck/2026/03/23/is-wisconsin-losing-millions-to-states-where-cannabis-is-legal/89251841007/

Waukesha School District considers random drug tests for student athletes

This is a great idea, only the school staff should also be tested, especially for alcohol, our most pernicious drug.

Gun ban for marijuana users gets Supreme Court review

State Democrats announce new marijuana legalization proposal

New Report Sounds Alarm on the Rise of Gambling Among Teen Boys

Josh Seftel's mom on cannabis

Trump reclassifies marijuana as less dangerous drug. What does it mean for Wisconsin?

From JSOnline:

Maia Pandey

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

In a major change to federal marijuana policy, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in December to classify marijuana as a less dangerous substance.

On Dec. 18, the president ordered the government to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug. Since the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I Drug, or drugs for which there are no accepted medical use and which have a high potential for abuse.

Other Schedule I Drugs include heroin, ecstasy and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Though the order shifts a decades-long precedent in marijuana policy, it will not immediately impact marijuana laws in Wisconsin, where the drug remains illegal for recreational and medicinal use.

Here's what to know about the federal reclassification of marijuana and the latest on cannabis policy in Wisconsin:

What does Trump's executive order do?

Trump's order does not automatically reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, but rather directs the Department to Justice to "take all necessary steps to complete the rulemaking process" for the reclassification.

In other words, Trump is ordering the government to expedite reclassifying the drug. The efforts to change marijuana's Schedule I designation began in 2022 under President Joe Biden's administration.

Trump's order also announced the administration would work with Congress to update the statutory definition of hemp-derived cannabinoid products in an effort to increase access to CBD products.

Is marijuana still illegal on a federal level?

Yes, marijuana is still illegal on a federal level.

However, the reclassification could lower tax burdens for marijuana firms, accelerate research on the drug and standardize drug development, USA TODAY reported. Companies making Schedule III drugs get a business-tax break that companies making Schedule I drugs do not.

Is marijuana legal in Wisconsin?

Recreational and medicinal marijuana use remain illegal in Wisconsin for all ages.

Efforts to legalize medicinal marijuana in Wisconsin have repeatedly failed. Meanwhile, 40 other states have legalized medicinal marijuana, and 24 states have also legalized marijuana for adult recreational use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Are hemp-derived THC products legal in Wisconsin?

Hemp-derived THC products are currently legal in Wisconsin, but that may change soon under new federal restrictions.

In 2018, a loophole in the federal Farm Bill legalized the sale of intoxicating hemp products nationwide, including in Wisconsin. Hemp-derived THC is technically different from marijuana-derived THC, but both are derived from the cannabis plant and have similar intoxicating effects.

However, in November 2025, Trump signed a federal funding bill with a provision that closes the Farm Bill loophole. The new restrictions are due to take effect one year after the bill's signing.

What is a Schedule 3 drug?

Schedule III drugs have a "moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence," and are essentially less dangerous than Schedule I and II drugs, per the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Other Schedule III drugs include ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone and products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit, such as Tylenol with codeine.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2025/12/26/what-does-schedule-iii-classification-of-marijuana-mean-for-wisconsin/87908532007/

Cannabis industry reacts to executive order easing marijuana restrictions

Regular cannabis users can develop severe symptoms like vomiting, cramps

I've never heard of this.

Wisconsin medical marijuana bill draws impassioned support but faces obstacles

From JSOnline:

Laura Schulte

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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.

More: Wisconsin bill redefines hemp, tightens THC limits to crack down on intoxicating products on store shelves

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."

More: Wisconsin marijuana legalization faces familiar headwinds in new legislative session

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.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/22/wisconsin-medical-marijuana-bill-draws-strong-support-from-the-public/86833169007/

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he's considering not running for reelection in 2026

From JSOnline:

Francesca Pica

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, the longest serving assembly speaker in Wisconsin history, said he's considering not running for reelection in 2026 on WISN-TV's "Upfront."

Vos, a Republican from Rochester who has served as assembly speaker since 2013, said in an interview aired on Oct. 5 he will decide whether or not to seek reelection in 2026 early next year.

"I'm trying to think through, like, I've done this for a long time," Vos said. "How long am I going to do it? I don't know. Now that Tony Evers is leaving, I'm kind of excited about the fact of working with a different governor, so I just have to decide."

"I won't decide until sometime in January," he added.

Vos previously considered retiring in 2024, but he said a recall effort, backed by supporters of President Donald Trump, "reengaged" him and motivated him to seek another term.

Should Vos choose not to run, his seat will be one of many up for grabs up in 2026. Gov. Tony Evers announced in July he will not seek another term. Eight Democrats and two Republicans have formally entered the race. Races for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer are also expected to be wide open.

Meanwhile, Democrats are hoping to gain control the state Assembly and Senate chambers after new district maps put them in play for the first time since 2011.

After GOP lawmakers passed a set of district maps drawn by Evers in January 2024, Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in the Senate and shaved the Assembly majority down to 54-45. Democrats will need to flip five Assembly seats and two Senate seats to win majorities.

Still, Vos said the public shouldn't read into his decision.

"I have won in so many circumstances," Vos said. "I think we're going to win the Assembly again. I really don't worry about that."

Vos has consistently won reelection by safe margins. He won the newly redrawn 33rd district race with 57% of the vote in 2024. In 2022, Vos narrowly survived a Trump-backed primary challenge, winning 73% of the vote in the general election.

Despite being a frequent target of Trump, Vos told WISN-TV he's "excited" for the next four years of the second Trump administration.

Vos also said he will likely vote against a bill introduced by GOP lawmakers to legalize medical marijuana, saying previous efforts to pass a more limited bill have failed to find enough support.

"I still think there is the hope to try to find some consensus, but it looks to me like the version that was released is just way to broad and way too wide ranging," he said.

Assembly lawmakers will return to the floor on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/05/assembly-speaker-robin-vos-considering-not-seeking-reelection-in-2026/86536361007/