If Wisconsin wants to keep pace with neighboring states and Canada and secure the full fiscal benefit from an initial surge in sales to fund top state priorities, it cannot wait. “Legalization will thrive here if we do it right and we do it soon,” says Rep. Melissa Sargent. “We don’t want Wisconsin to be a dead zone while other states all around us invest in prosperity.”
Newly elected Democratic governors in Minnesota and Illinois have both indicated they will move toward full legalization, while Michigan and Canada recently did. It appears even Iowa, the only other bordering outlier, could move forward as part of a sentencing reform bill that includes expungement of criminal records.
Here is what Gov. Evers’ new counterparts have to say on cannabis legalization:
Illinois
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker (who now works with a Democrat-controlled legislature) made cannabis reform a centerpiece in his campaign for its disproportionate impact on black and brown communities: “We can begin by immediately removing one area of racial injustice in our criminal justice system. Let’s legalize, tax and regulate marijuana.”
Minnesota
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz summarized his views on Twitter: “I support legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use by developing a system of taxation, guaranteeing that it is Minnesota grown, and expunging the records of Minnesotans convicted of marijuana crimes.”
Michigan
Voters approved a proposal to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana by a margin of 56 % to 44 %. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer touted her vote on Twitter: “I will be a ‘yes’ vote on legalizing recreational marijuana... we need a governor who will tax it and regulate it so that we can #fixthedamnroads.”
Canada
As of October 2018, cannabis became fully legal in Canada.
