The best-kept secret right now in Wisconsin is that more than half of our state’s voters get a chance to vote for cannabis legalization this fall. You never heard of that? Well, it’s not surprising since county boards of supervisors are not high profile, but they have chosen to add cannabis advisory referenda to the November ballots.
Some of these questions will ask voters about the full legalization of cannabis, like those in Milwaukee and Dane counties; others will ask voters to consider whether cannabis should be permitted for medicinal purposes, like those in Brown and Marathon counties. All in all, people in 16 counties from La Crosse to Kenosha, as well as in the cities of Racine and Waukesha, will be voting on cannabis on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Cannabis has gone mainstream. Thirty-one states have legalized some form of cannabis, with nine states and Washington, D.C., permitting recreational use. This fall, voters in Missouri and Utah are expected to legalize it medicinally, and voters in Michigan will likely endorse full legalization.
One major force behind the push to legalize cannabis is the fact that it’s important medicine. The medical applications of the plant are well established as a treatment for PTSD, nausea, epilepsy and asthma. Cannabis has also emerged as a less-addictive, less-dangerous alternative to opioids. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid abuse and overdoses quadrupled between 2000 and 2014, with 800 people dying in Wisconsin last year alone. Cannabis has been shown to help reduce opioid abuse. In states that have legalized cannabis, opioid prescriptions fell 30%.
So, why does Republican Gov. Scott Walker claim that he “leads” the nation in fighting opioid abuse while opposing medicinal cannabis? I could spend some time parsing his statement, but considering the wide and regular divergence between reality and what Walker says, it is just not worth it on this issue.
None of the 18 cannabis referenda will have the force of law due to their advisory nature, yet they will send a clear message to the legislature and our next governor if voters support legalization in droves. Cannabis activists realize that this could be a historic opportunity and have banded together to rally the vote via the website votecannabis2018.com, which asks those that support cannabis legalization to sign up and ask their friends to do the same.
But, if we look at a cannabis vote as the first of a one-two-punch, then the second blow is electing Democratic candidate Tony Evers as our next governor. Evers has committed himself to support medicinal cannabis. Further, he met with health activists and opened the door to full legalization should voters express their support for this at the ballot box.
With Walker’s opposition to legalizing cannabis—even for medicinal use—contrasting with Evers’ support, it’s a no-brainer. Get out and vote on Tuesday, Nov. 6, for cannabis legalization, and send Walker packing to make way for common-sense cannabis legislation once and for all.
The Shepherd Express is responsible for the content and opinions expressed in “Cannabis is on the Ballot in November” and inadvertently attributed it to Andrew Hysell and the Wisconsin Justice Initiative. We apologize for this error.
