Wisconsin Public Radio

GOP Legislators Kill Medical Pot Proposal

Budget committee snuffs out Evers plan. It's “off the wall scary,” says Sen. Darling.

By , Wisconsin Public Radio - Apr 26th, 2019 12:13 pm
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Sen. Alberta Darling. Photo by Coburn Dukehart / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.

Sen. Alberta Darling. Photo by Coburn Dukehart / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.

Gov. Tony Evers‘ proposal to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin will not be included in the next state budget, according to two top GOP lawmakers.

The governor proposed legalizing medical marijuana and decriminalizing up to 25 grams of marijuana earlier this year.

But the leaders of the Legislature’s state budget committee said the proposal will not be approved as part of the state budget, as Evers wanted.

Speaking at a WisPolitics event in Madison, state Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, said she’s concerned about parts of the governor’s proposal that would allow people to grow and distribute marijuana.

“When you read what he actually has in his budget, it’s really off the wall scary,” Darling said.

In addition to decriminalizing possession and sale of less than 25 grams of marijuana, Evers’ budget would also set state regulations for manufacturing and sales of medical marijuana at dispensaries.

Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, who co-chairs the Legislature’s state budget committee with Darling, said the plan should be its own bill, rather than an element of the state’s two-year spending plan.

“Something of that substance, in my opinion — no pun intended — needs a much larger conversation than being stuck into a 2,000-page document,” he said.

The governor has said people with certain medical conditions should be able to access marijuana for treatment and that decriminalization would help reduce the state’s prison population.

Listen to the WPR report here.

GOP Leaders: Evers’ Medical Marijuana Proposal Won’t Be Approved was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.

More about the Legalizing of Marijuana

Categories: Politics, Wisconsin Public Radio

3 thoughts on “GOP Legislators Kill Medical Pot Proposal”

  1. blurondo says:
    April 27, 2019 at 12:39 pm

    Ain’t happenin’ here:

    Toking
    Poking
    Blazing
    Cheeching
    Smoking trees
    Mowing the grass
    Biting one’s lips

    “Something of that substance, in my opinion — no pun intended — needs a much larger conversation than being stuck into a 2,000-page document,” he said.
    Well then Mr. Nygren, introduce that bill.
    Blasting

    Blowing
    Burning one down
    Chasing
    Firing one up
    Going loco
    Hitting the hay
    Torching up
    Getting the wind

  2. Thomas Martinsen says:
    April 28, 2019 at 11:54 pm

    Senator Darling’s perception of “off the wall scarey” may have more to do with her fear that the Evers proposal could be a crowd pleaser than with her fear of marijuana.

  3. Alan Bartelme says:
    April 29, 2019 at 12:02 pm

    Amazing the GOP has a problem putting this item into the budget bill, when for the last 8 years they had no problem burying all sorts of major stuff in the budget.

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