Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is folding cannabis legalization into his recovery plan for the state. Evers is hosting a series of virtual forums for Wisconsin residents to ask questions about his “Badger Bounceback agenda,” or the state’s plan for coming back from the devastations wrought by COVID-19, which ranges from infrastructure to healthcare. On Wednesday, the forum’s focus was Justice Reform & Marijuana Legalization, during which roughly 200 participants asked the governor about racial disparities in cannabis-related enforcement, treatment, and other cannabis-related issues. Repeated topics included driving while ability impaired by cannabis, expungement, and how Wisconsin residents with cannabis convictions are blocked from accessing critical resources like housing, employment, and education. The budget that Ever introduced proposes that the Department of Revenue issue cannabis retail licenses and the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection would license quality control labs. Those using cannabis for medical purposes would not have to pay “retail level excise and sales taxes.”
Alyson Martin, Cannabis Wire, 04/14/2021 20:00:00