Tribal groups launch ‘Wisconsin Wellness’ campaign to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin – WisPolitics

Medical marijuana advocates launched a statewide campaign arguing the drug should be legalized for medical use in Wisconsin. 

The Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association, a nonprofit, and the Wisconsin Tribal Task Force on Cannabis, founded by St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin Senior Intergovernmental Affairs Specialist Michael Decorah, are leading the “Wisconsin Wellness” effort that kicked off with a PSA video Monday. 

Decorah joined Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Madison, Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association founder Rob Pero, Ho-Chunk Nation legislator Kristin White Eagle, Megan and Josh Lowe and their daughter Norah, who is disabled, at today’s Capitol press conference. 

Decorah said despite their status as sovereign nations, some tribes are still hesitant to legalize cannabis on tribal land because it is illegal at the federal level. 

“That’s why we’re advocating for this access now,” Decorah said. “We’re asking the colleagues of Sen. Agard to quit debating whether we should or shouldn’t do something that’s already being done and proven to work. We should be debating how much can go into helping families, helping our schools, helping our infrastructure, helping our fire and safety, given those dollars there.” 

Efforts to pass legislation legalizing medical marijuana have stalled in the GOP-run Legislature, including a bill that would have used state-run dispensaries. The proposal didn’t receive a vote in either chamber as Sen. Mary Felzkowski, a key GOP proponent of medical marijuana, said she preferred an approach that gave more control to the private sector. 

Megan Lowe, who co-owns a hemp farm in Merrimac with her husband, said all of her daughter Norah’s friends in neighboring states have access to cannabis, and “they have incredibly improved with access to this medicine.”

Norah has Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that impacts brain development.

“She could be seizure-free if we drove 75 miles in either direction. And I don’t want to have to move out of my state, we need action now,” she said. 

Agard, who is running for Dane County exec, argued legalizing or taxing marijuana like alcohol would allow for a controlled market that would be safe for communities and provide health and security opportunities for people like Norah. 

“The fact is, cannabis legalization is a uniquely popular issue,” Agard said. “This is something that extends beyond partisan politics. It doesn’t matter if you’re in urban or rural areas of the state of Wisconsin. People want this stuff.”