From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Assembly Democrats say they will introduce legislation to fully legalize recreational marijuana in Wisconsin.
Rep. Darrin Madison, D-Milwaukee, said the bill would include “fully legalized cannabis for responsible adult use,” including a medical cannabis program.
“Legalizing cannabis in Wisconsin is an economic necessity, a public safety strategy and a racial justice imperative,” Madison said.
He said the bill would include provisions to expunge the criminal records of some people convicted on cannabis-related charges.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has repeatedly rejected calls to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. The speaker’s office and other Republicans didn’t immediately return calls for comment.
On the question of licensing, Rep. Andrew Hysell, D-Sun Prairie, said there would be “certain limitations in terms of qualifications” for cannabis distributors but did not provide further details.
The bill is the first proposal this session that seeks to regulate not just the hemp-derived THC products already sold in Wisconsin under the “hemp loophole” that allows for the sale of intoxicating hemp products but also marijuana, which is legally distinct and currently illegal under state law.
Speaking after the presser yesterday, Madison explained the more expansive legalization push by pointing out that most hemp producers would be marijuana growers if not for the loophole. He said the regulatory framework could help protect consumers from unregulated cannabis products that are still sold illegally in Wisconsin.
The 2018 farm bill removed hemp from the list of controlled substances, a move that was hailed at the time as a way to provide farmers a new crop that could be used in products such as paper and clothing. But it also opened the door to products with low doses of THC, such as gummies and beverages. President Donald Trump signed legislation in late 2025 that bans the “unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp-based or hemp-derived products” in one year.
Lawmakers have proposed several bills this session on hemp, including: a GOP-authored push to bar the sale of hemp-derived THC products; a bipartisan bill pushing for a three-tiered system for hemp manufacturers, distributors and retailers akin to state alcohol regulations; and separate Dem and GOP proposals barring sales to individuals under the age of 21.
Madison said Dems had been in talks with GOP lawmakers about their legalization push but did not have Republican co-signers at this time.
— Dem gubernatorial candidate Sara Rodriguez called for a Wisconsin public health insurance option that she said would use the state’s purchasing power to provide enrollees lower costs for prescription drugs, mental health services and other care.
The lieutenant governor also called for a “Health Care Bill of Rights,” codifying the right to an abortion, extending postpartum coverage under Medicaid to a year and creating a fund to help keep rural health care providers open.
“When people have affordable, reliable health care, everything else gets easier,” Rodriguez said.
The lieutenant governor, a former nurse and health care executive, didn’t have a price tag for her proposal, saying it would require an actuarial analysis that would include how many people are no longer covered by the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Colorado and Washington state offer similar public options—government-run plans that compete with private insurers. Colorado’s public option is available to those who buy their coverage on the individual market and small employers with less than 50 employees. Health insurance plans are required to lower premiums under the plans, according to the program’s website. Premium increases under the Washington state plan were nearly 50% lower than other options in 2024, according to its website.
Rodriguez said the bill of rights she wants enshrined in state law would provide protections to those with pre-existing conditions, including bans on denying them coverage, charging them more or kicking them off their plan. It also would ban lifetime and annual coverage limits and surprise billing.
During her Madison news conference yesterday, Rodriguez took several shots at GOP gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, of Minocqua, for the expiration of federal tax credits to lower the cost of purchasing individual coverage through the Affordable Care Act exchange.
Tiffany in a statement fired back that Rodriguez has no record of making life more affordable for Wisconsinites.
“She continues to push bailouts for wealthy health insurance companies with your tax dollars, all while her subsidized plan would mean higher taxes and higher premiums for nearly all Wisconsinites,” he said.
Rodriguez also defended Gov. Tony Evers’ record on addressing health care considering he’s had a GOP-controlled Legislature for all seven years he’s been in office.
“He has done as much as he can with a hostile Legislature,” she said.
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