Republican legislators are hoping to restart talks on legalizing medical marijuana in Wisconsin. State Representative Pat Snyder (R-Schofield) says that the state would retain strict control over the industry through a new rules commission housed with the Department of Revenue.
“They will be making most of the decisions that are impacting stakeholders,” Snyder said.
State Senator Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma) is a cancer survivor and says that medical marijuana could have helped her through her treatments for cancer. She wants people to have natural options in their health care in the future.
Wisconsinites deserve another tool in the toolbox as they go through difficult treatment and recovery journeys, look to alleviate their chronic pain, and handle the debilitating effects of PTSD.
— Sen. Mary Felzkowski (@MaryFelzkowski) January 26, 2022
Felzkowski says this is not just a liberal or conservative issue. “You’ll see conservative states like Florida and South Dakota, and more liberal states like California, New York offering a compassionate option for those that need relief,” she said.
The bill would allow individuals to use medical marijuana for a limited number of conditions, with referral from a physician.
A medical marijuana bill offered by Felzkowski in the previous legislative session had no support from Republican leadership and failed to advance.
One of Felzkowski’s Democratic colleagues is critical of this latest bill. “Setting up a political commission to be in charge of whether people get access to medication, and dictating the way in which they can consume it, isn’t what the Wisconsinites advocating for this bill have asked for,” said Senator Jon Erpenbach (D- West Point) in a statement.