Governor Tony Evers says he’ll include legalization of recreational marijuana in the two-year budget proposal he’ll introduce next week.
The drug would be regulated and taxed in much the same way the state does with alcohol. Wisconsin would join 15 other states that have already legalized recreational marijuana, including Michigan and Illinois.
According to the governor, this would generate about $165 million annually. Evers wants much of that funneled into a development fund for local communities and funding for small, rural school districts.
In announcing the idea on Sunday, the Democratic governor cited a 2019 Marquette Law School Poll, which found nearly 60 percent of respondents in support of legalizing marijuana and 83 percent support for legalization of medical marijuana.
Evers’ previous budget proposed legalizing medical marijuana, an idea which Republicans in the Legislature rejected.