Do not miss this local activist networking event! Pick up blank signature forms for distribution locally. Come down and sign for support and say high to the NORML crew!
Meet your NORML representatives working on reform, receive updates on state and federal legislation, membership sign up and NORML schwag available.
Help with planning for 2020 final push in the legislation session.
[[Note: Shae responded to our questionnaire request with the following explanation and asked that it be used in lieu of the questionnaire responses.]]
Your survey has questions that I don’t feel really take into account the full scope of the legal issues affecting this issue.So, I decided to answer the principle of the issue directly here rather than try to fit my position into the individual questions asked. Here is my position.
The issue is much more complex than people like to pretend that it is. While i personally have no issue with cannabis (from a legal standpoint. I’ve never used it myself and don’t intend to), we need to consider the issue in entirety.
No matter what we do at the state level, cannabis is still federally illegal. Unless we hold to the 250 year old argument of state nullification of federal law (which has been ruled illegal by the Supreme Court), then the Federal Law still stands.
It is an uncertain issue at the moment federally. President Trump has hinted that maybe this issue ought to fall to the states. I agree. At the same time, we have Federal Attorney General who has already hassled the state of Wisconsin for something as non-controversial as CBD oil.
This is very concerning to me. I hesitate to legalize and put the state stamp of approval on something when there is a Federal government threatening to prosecute citizens for its use.
We could well have many people who are intending to follow the law because Wisconsin “legalized” it, only to then get prosecuted by Federal authorities. I do not want to set the people of Wisconsin up for failure and make criminals out of people who are intending to follow the law.
Federally, they ought to allow full medical research and it really ought to be an issue handled by the states as it is not a power granted to the federal government in the Constitution.
As far as what the state can do under current circumstances, I would support decriminalization rather than legalization. This would prevent people thinking that there was no penalty and actually would offer citizens a certain level of protection from federal prosecution since they would likely face a minimal fine from the state and double jeopardy laws would prevent the feds from going further if the person had already received a penalty.
#FACTS THE LIST Notice, on this list NO REPUBLICAN backs any bills for legalization or medical! Republicans are only found on decriminalization bills.
_______________________________________________ A+ District48 Melissa Sargent AB409 AJR7 AB75 AB147/AB183 AB158 B+ District 71 Katrina Shankland AJR7 AB75 SA1 AB409 AB158 A+ District76 Chris Taylor AB409 AJR7 AB75 SA1 AB147 AB158 A District65 Tod Ohnstad AJR7 AB75 SA1 AB147 AB158 A District17 David Crowley AB409 AJR7 AB75 AB147/AB183 AB158 A District19 Jonathan Brostoff AB409 AJR7 AB75 SA1 AB147 A District18 Evan Goyke AB409 AJR7 AB75 SA1 A District77 Terese Berceau AB409 AJR7 AB75 SA1 AB147 AB158 A- D9 Josh Zepnick AB409 AJR7 AB75 AB158 A- District 47 Jimmy Anderson AB409 AJR7 AB75 SA1 AB158 A- District 81 Dave Considine AB409 AB147 A- District 10 David Bowen AB409 AJR7 AB75 SA1 AB147/AB183 A- District 79 Dianne Hesselbein AB147 AB158 A- District 76 Lisa Subek AB409 AJR7 AB75 AB147 AB158 A- District 80 Sondy Pope AB409 AJR7 AB75 AB147/AB183 AB158
B+ District 12 Frederick Kessler AB409 B+ District 21 Christine Sinicki AJR7 AB75 SA1 AB147 AB158
B District 91 Dana Wachs AJR7 SA1 B District 45 Mark Spritzer AB409 AJR7 AB75 AB147 B District 44 Deb Kolste AB409 AB147 B District 44 Gary Hebl AB75 B District 90 Eric Genrich AB409 AB75 SA1 AB147/AB183
B- District 7 Daniel Riemer SA1 B- District 8 Jocasta Zamarripa AJR7 AB75 SA1 AB147 B- District 11 Jason Fields B- District 16 Leon Young B- District 43 Don Vruwink B- District 54 Gordon Hintz AB409 AB75 B- District 57 Amanda Stuck SA1 B- District 64 Peter Barca AB147 B- District 66 Cory Mason AB409 B- District 73 Nick Milroy AB147 B- District 74 Beth Meyers B- District 94 Steve Doyle AJR7 AB75 AB158 B- District 95 Jill Billings AJR7 AB158
D+ District 1 Joel Kitchens Ab409 AB183 D+ District 14 Dale Kooyenga AB409 AB183 D+ District 25 Paul Tittl AB409 AB183 D + District 28 Adam Jarchow AB409 AB183 D+ District 68 Kathleen Bernier Ab409 AB183
D District 27 Tyler Vorpagel D District 37 John Jagler D District 55 Mike Rohrkaste D District 63 Robin Vos D District 75 Romaine Quinn AB147/AB183 D District 85 Patrick Snyder D District 98 Adam Neylon
D- District 6 Gary Tauchen D- District 70 Nancy Vandermeer D- District 2 Andre Jacque D- District 3 Ron Tusler AB183 D- District 21 Jesse Rodriguez D- District 22 Janel Brandtjen AB183 D- District 23 Jim Ott D- District 24 Dan Knodl AB183 D- District 26 Terry Katsma D- District 29 Rob Stafsholt D- District 30 Shannon Zimmerman D- District 31 Amy Loudenbeck AB183 D- District 32 Tyler August D- District 33 Cody Horlacher D- District 34 Rob Swearingen D- District 35 Mary (Czaja) Felzkowski D- District 36 Jeffrey Mursau AB183 D- District 39 Mark Born D- District 40 Kevin Peterson D- District 41 Joan Ballweg D- District 42 Keith Ripp D- District 49 Travis Tranel D- District 50 Edward Brooks D- District 51 Todd Novak D- District 52 Jeremy Thiesfieldt AB183 D- District 56 David Murphy D- District 58 Rob Gannon D- District 59 Jesse Kremer AB183 D- District 60 Robert Brooks AB183 D- District 62 Thomas Weatherston D- District 67 Rob Summerfield D- District 69 Bob Kulp AB183 D- District 72 Scott Krug AB183 D- District 82 Ken Skowronski AB183 D- District 83 Chuck Wichgers D- District 84 Mike Kuglitsch D- District 86 John Spiros D- District 87 James Edming D- District 88 John Macco AB183 D- District 89 John Nygren AB183 D- District 92 Treig Pronschinske D- District 93 Warren Petryk AB183 D- District 96 Lee Nerison D- District 97 Scott Allen AB183 D- District 99 Cindy Duchow
F District 5 Jim Steineke F District 62 Samantha Kerkman F District 38 Joel Kleefisch AB183
Voters in Marathon County should have the opportunity to weigh in on the nonbinding advisory medicinal marijuana referendum. If it passes, it will give direction to our local leaders and send a message to the leadership in Madison to stop procrastinating and take timely action on this health care issue for Wisconsin’s citizens.
Humans have been acquiring medicine from plants for thousands of years. GW Pharmaceuticals has just received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for sale of its medicines made directly from marijuana. The pharmacy chain Rite-Aid is now making plans to offer these medicines nationwide.
These realities shatter the misguided belief that marijuana has no medical use. It may have many, with fewer side effects than opiates. Overdoses on marijuana just don’t happen.
An educational Marathon County Board meeting allowing public input is scheduled for Thursday, with a full board vote on this advisory referendum on July 24. Respectfully contact your county board representative and encourage them to vote “yes.”
Wisconsin’s motto is “Forward.” So lagging behind fellow states and neighboring countries on this health issue should not be a part of our legacy. The people’s vote is their voice. They should be allowed to speak through this November referendum.
Northern Wisconsin NORML is pleased to announce the release of our 2020 Candidate Scorecard. This extensive database assigns a letter grade ‘A’ through ‘F’ to states’ to elected officials based upon their comments, author/co-authored/sponsored/co-sponsored legislation, voting records, interaction with NORML supporters in 2019 and the past that are specific to matters of marijuana policy.
Public opinion in support of marijuana law reform, including adult-use legalization, is at an all-time high. Nonetheless, few federal lawmakers are espousing views on cannabis policy that comport with those of the majority of their constituents. As a result, most legislative activity specific to marijuana policy takes place at the state level. America’s Governors and legislative bodies are our nation’s most powerful state-elected officials and they often play a key role in this ongoing legislative debate. Here is where our Wisconsin State Assembly and Senate Stand on the issues surrounding cannabis policy.
Republican Senate 19 members A = 1
B+ = 1
D -/+ = 3
F = 14
Democratic Senate 14 members A = 6
B = 6
C- = 1
D = 1
Republican Assembly 63 members A = 7
B = 8
C = 8
D = 9
F = 31
Democrat Assembly 36 members A = 19
B = 6
C = 4
D = 3
F = 4
KEY FINDINGS
Below are the key findings from Northern Wisconsin NORML’s 2019-20 Legislative Scorecard. Among the 132 members of the Wisconsin State Assembly and Senate:
132 members total and 67 members or (51%) received a passing grade of ‘C-’ or higher (99 Representatives and 33 Senators)
Of the total members of 132:
33 members (25%) received a grade of ‘A’ (26 Representatives and 7 Senators)
21 members (16%) received a ‘B’ grade (14 Representatives and 7 Senators)
13 members (10%) received a ‘C’ grade (12 Representatives and 1 Senator)
16 members (12%) received a ‘D’ grade (12 Representatives and 4 Senators)
49 members (37%) received a failing grade (35 Representatives and 14 Senators)
Now digest the Senate and Assembly with no party affiliation:
15 out of 33 Senators from both parties (45%) received a passing grade of a C or higher (7 A’s,7 B’s, and 1 C). 18 Senators Failed.
51 out of 99 Assembly Representatives from both parties (51%) received a passing grade of a C or higher (25 A’s, 14 B’s, and 12 C’s). 48 Assembly Representatives Failed.
Now digest the party affiliation:
Of the 50 Democrats in both houses, 42 members (84%) received a passing grade of a ‘C’ or higher.
Of the 82 Republicans in both houses, 25 members (30%) received a passing grade of ‘C’ or higher.
Now address the November 2020 Election and who is left:
16 of the 33 Senate Seats are up for election in November 2020. Of those 16 seats 7 (44%) are currently held by a Republican who received a Failing Grade; 2 of those Failing Incumbent Republicans will not be on the ballot in 2020. (Olsen retired and Tiffany is seeking the 7th Congressional Seat. Also 3 Democrat Incumbents with high grades will be absent as Miller and Hanson both leave the Senate.
Of the remaining 17 Senators (11 Republicans + 6 Democrats) not up for re-election in 2020: 11 Republicans with only 1 ‘A’ / passing grade and the remaining 10 Senators receiving ‘F’ Failing grades; and of the 6 Democrats remaining 5 received passing grades (2 ‘A’ and 3 ‘B’ and 1 ‘D’).
THE TAKEAWAY
Political support among Wisconsin state elected officials for marijuana policy reform continues to grow. However, this support is more partisan than ever before. No Republicans are on record in support of adult-use legalization and not enough are in favor of regulating medical cannabis access. By contrast, a large percentage of Democrats are supportive of both issues. This partisan divide is not similarly reflected among the general public. According to national polling data compiled by Gallup in October 2019, 66 percent of the public — including majorities of self-identified Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — favor adult-use legalization. Bipartisan support among the public for medical marijuana legalization is even stronger. Until this public support is similarly reflected among lawmakers, many cannabis-specific legislative reforms – in particular adult-use legalization proposals – will continue to meet resistance at the state level.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This information is continually changing and was last updated 03/31/2020. If you have an additional public comment that we do not have record of or any additional information please email northernwinorml@gmail.com.
Important and timely publications such as this are only made possible when concerned citizens become involved with NORML. Please consider making a donation today so we may continue to work towards legalization and providing you the tools necessary to be an informed voter.
In assistance in preparation of this report and to help share the information, I have created a Facebook Album the separates the graded elected officials into their respective houses and political party and below are the links:
Attend this event and meet Northern Wisconsin NORML Executive Director Kris Teegardin and get updates on current cannabis news and legislation in Wisconsin.
Pick up petition forms and drop of signed forms. You still have time to print your own forms and bring them signed back to the meeting. Print a few off and have friends, family and co-workers sign them. Deliver them to the chapter leaders at the meeting!
Help grow the chapter by volunteering to help create future events in this area of the state.
We are seeking regional leaders at the city and county level around the Fox Valley. Ever wonder what happens to petitions/forms after they get signed? Those interested in processing and delivering petitions while lobbying elected officials should always reach out to us.
Open conversation about approaching county boards and city councils about 1) adopting local decriminalization proposed by the state 2) declare a resolution supporting marijuana reform 3) balancing marijuana reform back on the ballot locally for November 2020.
Open to general public! No membership or donation is required to attend.
Local favorites TUGG and NATTY NATION are joining forces for their annual birthday celebration tribute to reggae icon Bob Marley with good vibes and irie music.
This will be in conjuncture with a free event with live speakers at 6pm until 7:30pm from Northern Wisconsin NORML organized by Tree Huggers Co-op including local and state politicians, hemp farmers and producers, CBD researchers, and local vendors presenting information on legalizing cannabis in the state of Wisconsin and to help mobilize for this cause.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.