No Compromise On Highly Restrictive Medical Marijuana Bill In Wisconsin, Says GOP Assembly Speaker

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) confirmed Tuesday that he is not planning to compromise with state Senate Republicans on a medical marijuana legalization proposal. 

Last week, Wisconsin's Republican legislators introduced a highly restrictive medical marijuana bill that covers a short list of qualifying conditions that patients can exclusively treat with non-smokable cannabis such as oils, gummies, tinctures and creams. Shortly after, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R) said the measure's proposal to create state-run dispensaries was a "nonstarter" and that he’s open to changes to garner support for the bill in the Senate. 

In a press conference, Vos said that "months and months of negotiations" led to "a very detailed bill," which needs a minimum of 50 votes to pass among Republicans, writes the Associated Press. 

"Taking and renegotiating the bill means we probably lose votes in our caucus," Vos said. "So I'd rather get us through to keep the promise we made, which is to have a comprehensive bill that can actually become law as opposed to an ethereal idea that maybe somebody could support someday but it never actually makes it anywhere."

Opposing Views And Lukewarm Response From Governor 

A long-time cannabis advocate, State Senator Melissa Agard (D) slammed the bill. “I am thoroughly reviewing every provision of this bill because the devil truly is in the details. This is a serious matter the legislature will be taking up in the coming weeks.” Agard added that the GOP-backed legislation is “overly restrictive” and “does not move our state in the right direction.”

Vos disagreed, saying the bill represents the maximum extent that Republicans are willing to go.

Governor Tony Evers (D) and the Democrats have long advocated full marijuana legalization for years. Evers expressed openness to a Republican-backed proposal for limited medical marijuana legalization recently, but after the proposal was introduced he showed no indication of whether he supported or opposed it.

The legislation limits marijuana access to patients diagnosed with specific conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, severe muscle spasms and terminal illnesses, among other conditions. Modeled after Minnesota's medical marijuana law, the bill would grant access through a physician's diagnosis and be limited to five state-run dispensaries.

Vos added that legislators project to see around 40,000 patients take part in the medical marijuana program in the state, basing this estimate on Minnesota's program. 

To become law, the measure needs to pass the Senate and Assembly and be signed by Evers. 

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