Wisconsin’s GOP Senate President, Mary Felzkowski, is optimistic that 2025 could be the year medical marijuana is legalized in the state. Speaking at a WiscPolitics event on Tuesday, Felzkowski expressed hope for a “conversation” in early January that could push the legalization of medical cannabis forward. However, she also made it clear that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos continues to be a significant obstacle to achieving that goal.
Felzkowski, who has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana access, explained that Vos is the primary hurdle in moving forward with cannabis reform. “There’s really one person that has seemed to be an obstacle,” Felzkowski said. “He has some pretty strict ideas on how that bill should be drafted,” she added, referring to Vos’ stance on the issue.
Vos, who had introduced a restrictive medical marijuana bill earlier this year, has struggled to garner support from both sides of the aisle. His proposed model focused on providing limited access to medical marijuana through state-run dispensaries. However, the bill faced criticism for being overly restrictive and failed to gain traction, ultimately dying before the end of the legislative session.
Felzkowski, who sponsored a medical cannabis bill in 2018 during her time in the Assembly, remains committed to finding a compromise. “We’re hoping to have a conversation in early January to see if there isn’t a way that we can come to a consensus between Assembly Republicans and Senate Republicans to negotiate a compromise and maybe move medical marijuana this session,” she said. However, she noted that such conversations had not yet taken place.
A Divided Legislature on Cannabis
Despite challenges in the Assembly, there is alignment on the issue in the Senate. Senate Democrats, including Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, have expressed support for medical cannabis reform. Neubauer acknowledged that while the medical marijuana bill introduced by Vos contained some positive elements, such as provisions for patient care, the state-run dispensaries model was a major stumbling block. “We’re going to sit down with the speaker and have that conversation,” Neubauer said. “So we’re hoping that, you know, Robin will be willing to remove that and we can do something else there and get it done.”
The divide between the Senate and Assembly has been a major factor in delaying medical marijuana legalization in Wisconsin. While Senate Republicans, led by Felzkowski, have pushed for a more moderate approach, Assembly Republicans have remained entrenched in their opposition to broader cannabis reform. Vos, in particular, has said that the GOP-controlled Senate’s version of the bill is too liberal for his tastes.
“We want to have a more liberal version than the one that we’re willing to pass,” Vos said in February. “That probably doesn’t leave us enough time with the waning days of the session to advance that bill.”
Governor Evers’ Support and Growing Public Backing
Despite the challenges in the legislature, there is significant support for medical marijuana reform from Governor Tony Evers. Earlier this month, Evers signaled his commitment to cannabis legalization, stating that it should be a priority for the 2025 legislative session. He expressed a desire to see marijuana legalization placed second on a list of key priorities, behind only expanding healthcare.
“We’ve been working hard over the last five years, several budgets, to make that happen,” Evers said during a listening tour related to the state budget. “I know we’re surrounded by states with recreational marijuana, and we’re going to continue to do it.”
Evers’ comments come at a time when support for marijuana legalization is growing across Wisconsin, including among rural voters. A recent survey showed that cannabis reform has gained traction even in traditionally conservative areas of the state.
Despite his support, Evers has faced resistance from Republican lawmakers, particularly in the Assembly, who have consistently blocked his marijuana proposals in previous budget requests. This opposition has led to frustration among many Democrats, including Sen. Melissa Agard (D), who has been an outspoken advocate for legalization. In an op-ed for Marijuana Moment, Agard criticized the GOP’s most recent medical marijuana bill as a “sham” that lacked real substance.
Economic Impact of Legalization
The potential economic benefits of legalizing cannabis in Wisconsin are also part of the ongoing debate. A fiscal estimate released by the state Department of Revenue last year projected that cannabis legalization could generate nearly $170 million annually in tax revenue. Proponents of legalization argue that this revenue could be used to fund critical state services, including education and healthcare.
This economic incentive has helped fuel calls for reform from Democrats, but Republicans have remained hesitant. Felzkowski and other Senate Republicans have emphasized that they would be willing to consider a more moderate bill that provides medical marijuana access to patients while avoiding the more contentious issue of recreational use. However, with Assembly Speaker Vos continuing to hold firm on his restrictive model, it remains to be seen whether a compromise can be reached in time for the 2025 session.
For now, the path to legalizing medical marijuana in Wisconsin remains unclear, but Felzkowski remains hopeful that the new year could bring the necessary conversations and negotiations to move the issue forward.
