Wisconsin Democrats look ahead to possibility of legalized marijuana as state government trifecta awaits

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- As Wisconsin Democrats continue planning for the coming trifecta, many are excited about the opportunity to legalize marijuana.

Wisconsin is one of eight states in the country that still ban both medical and recreational marijuana.

Advocates have long said the state is passing up a major source of revenue.

Dane County Executive Melissa Agard crusaded for legalization for more than a decade when she was in the state legislature. Her bills did not gain much traction under Republican control, but she expects that to change soon.

Agard told us, "Legalization of cannabis in Wisconsin is not going to introduce a new substance into our state. It is prevalent here."

For more than a decade, then-State Senator Agard was the lead voice on the front line to legalize marijuana in Wisconsin.

She said, "It will actually create regulations and controls that will make our state safer."

Wisconsin voters favor legalization. In every Marquette Law poll since 2019, more than half of respondents have supported legalization. Last summer, 67% supported legalization.

But Wisconsin remains what Agard calls an "island of prohibition": recreational use is legal in neighboring states Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois. Medical use is legal in Iowa.

Agard said, "Hundreds of millions of dollars that are bleeding out into other states. Providing opportunities for people in Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois."

Minnesota—the most recent neighbor to legalize—pulled in $45 million in state tax revenue last year, the first year of the program, according to the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management.

Illinois, where recreational marijuana has been legal since 2020, collected $456 million in taxes last year, according to the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office.

About 20% of Illinois' sales were to out-of-state customers, much of that in Wisconsin-adjacent counties.

"That money could be invested in our schools," Agard said. "It could be invested into our roads and bridges and infrastructure, it could be invested into behavioral health and addiction services."

Illinois dispensaries are licensed and regulated.

Customers are registered in a statewide database and there are monthly limits on how much they can buy.

Agard says regulation would make marijuana use safer, create opportunities for small businesses, and create jobs.

She also says it would be an opportunity to revise possession laws.

Agard said, "We have the ability, with smart, pragmatic policy to right many wrongs. To address many injustices in our criminal justice system."

According to FBI data, Wisconsin had the third most marijuana possession arrests last year.

Industry advocacy group NORML told us in a statement, "It is high time for Wisconsin lawmakers to enact cannabis policies grounded in health, safety, compassion, and that align with voters’ sentiments."