Wisconsin Lawmakers to Introduce Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill

In 2019, Wisconsin looked poised to become the next Midwest state to pass a medical marijuana legalization bill, following Illinois’ success earlier that year. Senator Patrick Testin had been working with two other lawmakers to draft and co-sponsor the legislation. Senator Jon Erpenbach of West Point and Representative Chris Taylor of Madison agreed to co-sponsor the bill as well, and they hoped to garner more support moving forward.

Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill

The proposed bill would be the first bipartisan legislation to make medical cannabis legal in Wisconsin since 2001. These three lawmakers argued that state residents should not have to commit a crime to access medicine for their debilitating conditions. Moreover, the bill outlined the need for regulatory oversight so patients would have a safe, legal pathway to obtain their medicine.

To qualify as a medical marijuana patient, applicants would need a recommendation from a primary care physician with whom they had an existing medical history. The bill also required the Department of Health Services to establish a patient registry. In addition, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection would create a licensing system for cultivators, manufacturers, and retailers.

Medical Marijuana Patient Access

For Senator Patrick Testin, legalizing medical marijuana was personal. He explained that, “Growing up, my grandfather was one of my heroes. I watched as cancer robbed him of his strength and vitality. I saw him make the decision to go outside the law to seek treatment with medical marijuana. It restored his appetite, and I believe it added months to his life. Doctors and patients, not government, should decide if cannabis is the right treatment.”

This mission to expand patient access was also driven by the will of Wisconsin residents. Indeed, there had been a groundswell of support for legalization. The previous fall, close to one million voters across 16 counties and two cities turned out in droves to show their support for medical marijuana.

Bill Faces Battle in Senate

Unfortunately, some lawmakers in power were passionately opposed to the bill. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald voiced his views, saying, “Everyone knows that medical marijuana leads to legalized marijuana. We’ve already seen that some states with easier access to marijuana have seen an increase in emergency room visits and impaired driving accidents. I don’t support this plan and I think that it’s going to be a tough sell to a majority of my caucus.”

While the bill would likely sail through the Wisconsin state assembly, the road grew considerably bumpier in the Senate. Senator Testin admitted that, “It’s going to face an uphill road in the Senate. It’s going to be a difficult battle.” Even so, this did not stop him from circulating the bill among Republicans to gain additional support.

He also found another co-author in Rep. Katrina Shankland, who felt it was her duty to support the will of her constituents. “A strong majority of Portage County residents agree that it’s time for us to legalize medical cannabis in Wisconsin. In fact, 83% of Portage County voters in the fall 2018 election supported the referendum asking whether cannabis should be legal for medical use,” Shankland noted.