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Robin Vos’ announcement in mid-April that Republican legislators are working on some sort of medical marijuana bill was welcome news.
We have a hard time believing the timing was an accident — it took place on 4/20. The movement appears to represent a shift in the Republican caucus’ approach. Prior sessions saw bills for medical marijuana or full legalization go nowhere, with staunch opposition from legislative Republicans.
Wisconsin is considerably out of step with other states on the question of whether to legalize marijuana use. Both Illinois and Michigan allow adults to use marijuana recreationally. Minnesota and Iowa allow medical use.
As we noted back in January, this isn’t a red state/blue state issue. No one would call Louisiana or Mississippi strongholds for the Democrats. But both allow for medical marijuana and have decriminalized possession. Utah, by far one of the most conservative states, allows medical marijuana.
Being out of step with other states can cause headaches, but it isn’t an inherently troublesome issue. States, under a federalist system, have considerable latitude to govern themselves. Being out of step with Wisconsin residents, on the other hand, is more problematic.
Polling suggests legislative opposition is badly out of sync with most of the state’s residents. An October poll from Marquette University’s law school showed 64% of people favor full legalization. That was up from 59% in 2019.
That 2019 poll showed support for medical marijuana was even stronger, with 83% of those surveyed in favor of it. Given the trends in public opinion and the fact the latter poll is now four years old, we’d be surprised if support for medical marijuana isn’t approaching 90% in our state. Support that strong rarely occurs for anything.
Those levels of support show something else, too. There’s virtually no downside to a politician supporting medical marijuana. Opposition, on the other hand, could carry a political penalty. The simple reality is that Republicans in state government can read the trends as well as anyone, and they know the foot-dragging approach from prior years is wearing thin with voters.
Comparatively few voters cast their ballots solely on this issue. But given that Republicans have largely underperformed in elections since last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, it’s unlikely those in Madison want to leave any excuses laying around for people who might be on the fence on Election Day.
Vos isn’t the only Republican to have made comments suggesting a real shift is underway. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said in January a bill could pass during the current session. For the first time, there appears to be genuine public support from Republican leaders in both chambers.
Being one of only 11 states that still absolutely prohibits marijuana use in any form isn’t a badge of honor. Nor is the federal government’s stubborn refusal to abandon its stance that marijuana has no valid medical uses. That’s clearly an outdated argument, and the vast majority of states have recognized that reality. Federal regulators may be comfortable being stuck in prior decades but the rest of the country, including Wisconsin, has clearly moved on.
Changes to the Wisconsin’s approach are justified by financial incentives with the likely windfall from taxes for any form of marijuana legalization in the state. They are justified by political calculations. And, most of all, they are justified by the opinions of the people of this state.
It is past time for the Legislature to get serious about this issue and to unveil a reasonable proposal for members to vote on. Vos and LeMahieu should pick up the pace.
