Wisconsin Wellness billboard
As calls grow louder for common-sense legalization of medicinal cannabis in Wisconsin, more diverse voices are joining the movement. The Wisconsin Wellness campaign, which officially launched September 3 on the steps of the Wisconsin Capitol building in Madison, is an Indigenous-led, state-wide public awareness campaign advocating for the legalization of medical cannabis in the Badger State.
Wisconsin Wellness aims to address medicinal cannabis legalization through a tiered approach of general education initiatives, storytelling and vetting current and new representatives in the Wisconsin State Legislature, says Rob Pero, founder of Canndigenous, a Wisconsin-based, Native American grower and producer of cannabis products. He’s a member of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
Pero explains that the Wisconsin Wellness was born out of the second annual Wisconsin Cannabis Industry and Policy Summit, held this past February. The Summit is presented by the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA), also founded by Pero, and is a national, native-centric trade association for the advancement of cannabis and hemp solutions.
“The work ICIA has done to help organize and build a network and develop curriculum has really set the stage for the tribes in Wisconsin to take ball into their own hands and create the first state Tribal Task Force for Cannabis in Wisconsin,” says Pero.
Pero joins Michael Decorah, Senior Intergovernmental Affairs Specialist for the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, and Kristin White Eagle, District II Representative for Ho-Chunk Nation, as the preliminary directors of the Wisconsin Wellness Coalition.
Decorah is also the founder of the Wisconsin Tribal Task Force on Cannabis. Also on the board of directors is Megan Lowe, whose family is directly impacted by the need for medicinal cannabis. Megan and Josh Lowe are a Wisconsin farming couple whose daughter, Nora, has Rett syndrome. “The Lowes grow legal hemp for their child as medicine, but they could also use the benefits of legal cannabis, which we don’t have in our state,” Pero notes. “Rather than move out of their home state, they’re staying and fighting for more access to good medicine for their daughter.”
Pero adds that all 11 of Wisconsin’s tribes participate in the Tribal Task Force for Cannabis.
Multipronged Strategy to Move Cannabis Legalization Forward
Wisconsin Wellness aims to educate the public and lawmakers through factual data. “We’re starting with the numbers that reflect the opioid epidemic and the need for post-traumatic stress disorder treatment for veterans. We’ll also highlight the work that the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs is doing to open the doors for cannabis discovery as medicine and as a viable treatment at the VA.”
The campaign also aims to highlight people adversely affected by restrictive cannabis laws. Wisconsin Wellness provides a safe platform to tell stories and share testimonials from people in need of cannabis medicine, people who use the medicine, and those who’ve experienced loss because of lack of access to the medicine.
“It’s not a political issue at this point,” Pero affirms. “It’s about wellness and health, and wellbeing and family, and knowing that you can protect your family from the black market and not be forced to go into other states and criminalize yourself to get access to this medicine.”
Pero says Wisconsin’s new legislative maps opens the door to intense surveying of new representatives in now-competitive districts throughout Wisconsin. Wisconsin Wellness will use these new opportunities to understand where leaders lie with their intention around the cannabis plant—and hold them accountable. The organization plans to work with representative on both sides of the aisle to draft a bill for legalization of medicinal cannabis.
Moving the needle on medicinal cannabis will also offer opportunity to implement better recreational legalization practices. “We’ve watched the successes and failures of legalization that’s still occurring (in other states),” Pero observes. “Our campaign plans to educate and tell stories and be involved politically. That’s exactly what our citizens in Wisconsin need and can be part of.”
Wisconsin Wellness has set a precedent for tribes to come together and not just advocate for their own communities but also for the benefit of the entire state. “It’s a very unique optic, and powerful to have sovereign nations advocating in a state where full cannabis use is prohibited,” Pero relates. “A lot of our tribal residents don’t live on a reservation. There’s also a lot of mixed blood, as our nation is still young. I’m Polish, German, Bad River and Oneida. The more we can see common ground, the better off we are. This plant is an area where we can all come together, regardless of politics.”
To get involved, visit wisconsinwellness.info to sign up for their newsletter and learn about upcoming events.
