Back in 2010 and 2011 the City of La Crosse had many conversations about cannabis reform, which ultimately did reform the local decriminalization laws in the city. Hopefully the latest attempt some 10 years later will be met with high support, especially since the 2018 La Crosse County Marijuana Referendum calling for marijuana to be regulated like alcohol passed by 63%.
A La Crosse City councilman wants to reduce the penalties for those caught with small amounts of marijuana.
Current law says any person in possession of seven grams of marijuana or less will not face charges, but rather pay a fine.
13th District Councilman Roger Christians wants to see the seven-gram limit moved to 25 grams (still under an ounce).
On Tuesday night, June 30th, 2020, the code of ordinance regarding possession of marijuana will be discussed at the city’s Judiciary and Administration Committee.
The reduced fine would be set at $1.
“It seems to me, we could at least reduce the fines to one dollar to send the message that, ‘Hey if you gotta do this for personal reasons for your medical situation’, we shouldn’t be looking down and making this illegal,” said Christians.
“We can’t change the state law but we can at least reduce the penalty to one dollar,” Christians added.
This proposition is already adopted in Wisconsin cities like Madison and Eau Claire.
After the proposition is presented to the committee, it will move to the Common Council for a possible vote in July 2020.
La Crosse’s Common Council will vote on decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, or cannabis, after a committee approved the resolution on Tuesday night.
The resolution was approved in a 4 to 2 vote by the Judiciary & Administration Committee, and would reduce charges for possessing 25 grams or less of cannabis to a fine of just $1.
Currently, the small fine is only offered for those who possess seven grams or less, and anything larger could result in criminal misdemeanor charges of up to $1,000 and jail time.
The reform was proposed and sponsored by council member Roger Christians, who said he supports the move because he thinks state leaders are dragging their feet to legalize cannabis when most Wisconsinites support it.
“It’s left to individual municipalities to do whatever they can do,” Christians said.
But he added that it was personal, too, and that he had three friends with chronic pain, one of them with Parkinson’s disease, and his wife, who suffers from pain after a broken bone in her back, who were interested in using it medicinally.
“It can and does help people,” Christians said.
Several members of the public spoke at the meeting in support of the legislation, and La Crosse Chief of Police Shawn Kudron said that his department would comply with any measures that were approved.
One woman spoke to the committee about her arrest in the 1990s for possessing 28 grams of cannabis in La Crosse. She said she lost her job, spent 90 days in jail, lost custody of her children and paid $1,800 in fees.
“It was actually life changing,” she said.
City council member and committee chair Andrea Richmond and council president Martin Gaul both voted against the resolution, though Richmond did not speak on the matter.
Gaul said that while he supports legalizing medical, and possibly recreational, cannabis in Wisconsin, he didn’t support changing the fine in La Crosse for fear of creating an unfair system for those who use the substance.
“I do not believe that this is a subject that is in the purview of the council,” Gaul said. “We are liberalizing the demand side for this product, while the supply side in the state of Wisconsin is still highly illegal.”
“I’d ask the people in Madison to do their damn jobs,” he added.
Similar legislation has passed in other areas across the state, including in nearby Eau Claire, and Madison and some of its suburbs.
The La Crosse Common Council meets the second Thursday of every month at 6:00PM in the Common Council Chambers located on the first floor of City Hall, 400 La Crosse St.
Next meeting is July 9th at 6:00pm. Public Statements are always allowed at Common Council Meetings.
For information on who is and how to contact your City Council members to support this initiative please click HERE.
Fibromyalgia and chronic pain sufferers in the Fox Valley area are encouraged to attend the upcoming meetings of Northern WI NORML on Tuesday, July 19 and Wednesday, August 17. The meetings will held at the Appleton Public Library and Harmony Cafe, respectively, from 6pm to 8pm. Information will available be on fibromyalgia, treatment options, and the benefits of hemp and medicinal marijuana…as well as much more. We will also be giving away copies of The Pot Book, a very well-written resource about everything related to marijuana. For more information about fibromyalgia, please refer to my May article “What Fibromyalgia Is Not…”
16 of the 33 Senate Seats were up for election in November 2020 and the other half will be up in 2022. Starting in January 2021 after newly elected or re-elected officials take their oath of office the overall structure of the the Wisconsin State Senate will change. With Republican Senator Fitzgerald moving onto his congressional seat, the dynamics have a chance to change under the new Republican Leadership. The Republican Joint Finance Committee Members consists of past Republican co-sponsors of medical and decriminalization.
We have some encouraging percentages of support on the issue of medical cannabis from the Senate and all the candidates in the the 13th Senate District Special Election signal of support for medical marijuana reform. I find it ironic that in the district formerly represented by Fitzgerald, all six (6) candidates supported reform that Fitzgerald was so blind with hate that he could not see.
We have opportunity when we digest the remaining 17 Senators (10 Republicans + 6 Democrats + 1 Vacant) that will be up for election in November 2022. Of those 11 Republicans, we had one only 1 ‘A’ / passing grade and the remaining 10 Senators receiving ‘F’ Failing grades for lack of action, silence on their true stance or vocal opposition to marijuana reform.
Of the 6 Democrats remaining; 5 received passing grades (2 ‘A’ and 3 ‘B’ and 1 ‘D’).
Maybe it helps if we name names and leave their voting records/history on marijuana reform. Our job is to make change happen and that includes evolving our elected leaders willingness to reform the marijuana laws. Marijuana is not for everyone, but is is certainly not a crime.
Senate District 5 (R) Dale Kooyenga, Grade: (Medical / Decriminalization) D+ Wisconsin’s historic bipartisan cannabis decriminalization bill back in 2017 included a number of sponsors of cannabis law reform legislation not seen before the decades and then Republican Assembly Representative Dale Kooyenga was an author of. On the campaign trail in 2018 he expressed support for medical cannabis and was highly expected to join other Republican Senators in supporting the issue in the 2019-2020 legislation session.
Unfortunately, Senator Kooyenga received a D+ for his cold feet in not signing on as a co-sponsor to either version of the medical marijuana bills during the 2019-2020 sessions. If Senator Kooyenga had signed on, it would have assured majority support in the Senate on the issue and made advancing bills through committee an easier process.
Senate District 7 (D) Chris Larsen, Grade: (Legal/Medical / Decriminalization) A+ Senator Larson sponsored Adult Use, Grow Your Own/Smoking Medical Marijuana and Decriminalization and that is all we can ask. Thank you Senator Larson for your continued support, you earned your A+ rating. Larson was re-elected to the Wisconsin State Senate for a third term in November 2018.
New Senate Leader! Senate District 9 (R) Devin LeMahieu, Grade: (Unknown/Uncommitted) F
Out of the 25 attendees in a 2017 listening session, nine people voiced their support of legalizing medical marijuana in the state. Many cited mental health issues they believed would be better treated with cannabis oil than with pharmaceuticals. “There is a lot of interest on both sides of the issue,” LeMahieu said. “… It is great to have these listening sessions and hear people’s opinions.”
His office has continued to ignore the issue and has chosen to remain uneducated while sticking to prohibition as the ideal model set forth by the federal government.
With 1 out of every 722 people in Sheboygan County being arrested for marijuana, you would think decriminalization of marijuana would be something this Senator would be willing to consider………..
Senate District 19 (R) Roger Roth, Grade: F (Poised to take Fitzgerald’s lead on the Just Say No Campaign)
The youngest Senate President ever in Wisconsin and a veteran. Marijuana reform is not always generational as this young man does not even want to talk about it. Senator Roger Roth (R-Appleton) has ignored veterans, patients, doctors, activists, voters, colleagues and even friends on the issue to deserve his F grade.
He is poised to replace Senator Fitzgerald and watch over the just say no campaign to marijuana reform in the Wisconsin Republican Senate.
Senate District 21 (R) Van Wanggaard, Grade: (Opposed) F
Republican Senator Wanggaard from Racine has not co-sponsored any legislation on marijuana reform since elected in 2010 and most likely will not move is stance of “just say no”. After coming off a nearly 30 year career with the Racine police force, he now serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety. In April 2019 he wrote an entire op ed piece entitled Is it high time to legalize in Wisconsin? No … The harmful effects on health and society outweigh any potential benefits
During 2019, the Assembly Republicans prefiled a bill for the 2020 legislative session to create a medical marijuana program in Wisconsin (Senate Bill 683) which he failed to co-sponsor. Previous legislative sessions adult use and decriminalization bills have failed to advance to even a public hearing under his watch and he is poised to do the same in the 2019-2020 session for Adult Use SB 377 and Decriminalization SB 577.
Senate District 25 (D) Janet Bewley, Grade: (Decriminalization) D- In 2018 the City of Superior decriminalized small amounts of marijuana and the City of Ashland approved measures about declaring a resolution to support both medical and recreational cannabis. The Democrat Assistant Senate Minority Leader did not sponsor any legislation on marijuana reform in 2019-2020. Senator Janet Bewley was close to failing this session.
Senate District 29 (R) Jerry Petrowski, Grade: (Unknown/Uncommitted) F; Long time Republican Senator Petrowski from Marathon did not co-sponsor the Republican legislation to create a medical marijuana program SB 683. Referendums in 2018 in Senator Petrowski district supported medical marijuana.
With over 58% of the 2021-22 Senators on record for some sort of marijuana reform, now is the time to get these people to work together on the issue by forming The Wisconsin Cannabis Caucus and making marijuana a priority for the upcoming legislative session. There is opposition in the Senate no doubt, but the opposition is in the minority and they are on their last legs of standing up for prohibition. The writing is on the wall and they know it, we can worry about voting them out in 2022. Right now we need the supporters to stand up and act like the majority they are and immediately pass medical cannabis legislation into law.
State Assembly District 56: Murphy, Lawrence share views on roads, Foxconn, legalizing pot
Incumbent Assembly Representative David Murphy (R-Greenville) in a campaign news article gave some in his district hope for medical cannabis reform. He has served the district since 2012 and our chapter has held many meeting, events and rallies in his district. In 2017 we targeted the city of Winneconne and Greenville because Rep. Murphy was on the Assembly Health committee assigned medical marijuana legislation.
Here is his statement:
Would you support changing state law to legalize marijuana and/or cannabis products? If so, under what conditions? If not, why?
Representative David Murphy
Assembly District 56
(R – Greenville)
Murphy: I do not support recreational marijuana. Law enforcement, including our local sheriff and police chief, are against legalization and their experience in the community carries a lot of weight with me. Medical marijuana is a different matter. The best situation would be for the federal government to de-list marijuana as a schedule 1 drug. This would allow for much more research to help us develop true medical treatments from marijuana. I was a co-sponsor of the legislation that was passed to legalize CBD oil.
Lawrence: Yes, I would support legalizing marijuana for both recreational and medical uses. We tolerate a lot as a society when people drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes. We will tolerate marijuana as well. Legalizing it will prevent people from landing in jail or prison. Society avoids paying for the cost to house those prisoners. Families and lives are unnecessarily ruined as prison divides families and reduces incomes and employment opportunities.
Jay Selthofner speaking at 2012 WI MN Libertarian Convention, held in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on April 14, 2012.
While Jay is not a member of the Libertarian party, he is always willing to speak and present the case for Cannabis and Hemp to any receptive audience.
Jay got a chance to meet with Presidential candidate Gary Johnson and sit next to him during dinner.
The Northern Wisconsin NORML crew tabled at the event, and got a chance to educate several people about the benefits of hemp and cannabis.
For More Information, visit the following websites:
We meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Our next meeting is on Thursday, January 12, which is our first meeting of 2012. Check our calendar of events for updates, things to bring to the meeting, to confirm agendas and to look for upcoming events.
From 4:20pm to 5:30pm we enjoy fellowship as an informal group of supporters gathering together prior to our meeting. We meet at the Harmony Cafe in Appleton, which has food and beverages available for sale.
At 5:30pm we begin our general meeting, which is accepted to last until 7:00pm, sometimes finishing early, but we have the room reserved up till 8pm in case we need to go longer.
NORML Laptop Skins
Meetings are open to the general public and you need not a be a member to attend. Meetings are also broadcast over the Internet via Google + Hangouts.
We have been rewarding active activists with rewards and giveaways.
Membership is the key to being a strong chapter and we are currently looking for field directors to work with the Treasurer and fundraising team on specific projects, please contact us at NorthernWiNORML@gmail.com if interested in assisting with this or any project.
New York, NY: One-third of commercially marketed CBD products tested positive for the presence of synthetic, psychoactive adulterants while others tested negative for any presence of CBD, according to an investigation by the Associated Press.
Reporters commissioned laboratory testing of 30 commercially available CBD products sold at retailers (non-state licensed dispensaries), including edible products and vapor products. The AP reported that ten of the 30 products analyzed tested positive for the presence of synthetic cannabinoids typically identified in illicit products such as ‘Spice,’ ‘K2,’ and other controlled substances. These synthetic agents are illegal under federal law and their consumption may be associated with significant adverse health effects.
A case report published in May in the journal Clinical Toxicology previously reported the identification of the synthetic cannabinoid agonist AB-FUBINACA (aka 5F-ADB) in a brand of CBD products commercially marketed online.
The AP reported that the adulterated products in question were marketed commercially in 13 states, including Alabama, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, and Texas. It acknowledged that the packaging and labeling typically fails to identify the manufacturers of the products.
Several of the products analyzed in the AP investigation also tested negative for the presence of CBD or only contained trace amounts of the compound – a finding that is consistent with those of prior reports. Last week, a Hawaii News Nowreport identified the presence of bacteria, THC, and only trace levels of CBD in several products commercially available at local retail markets. Not a single product tested contained the precise amount of CBD that was advertised on the packaging.
Currently, commercially marketed CBD-infused products are not subject to explicit federal regulations. As a result, third-party lab testing has frequently revealed inconsistencies between the percentage of CBD advertised and the amount actually contained in some of these products. In many cases – such as those reported here, here, here, here, and here – actual quantities of CBD in the product are far lower than advertised. In other cases, testing has revealed the presence of THC, which may put consumers in jeopardy for legal ramifications – such as arrest or the loss of employment (due to a drug test failure). Some commercial products have also been identified to contain elevated levels of heavy metals and solvents.
By contrast, CBD-infused products sold at state-licensed dispensaries are typically subject to state-specific regulations and lab testing protocols.
In May, NORML provided written testimony to the US Food and Drug Administration urging the agency to move expeditiously to provide regulatory guidelines governing CBD-infused products, including best practices for their manufacturing, standardization, and purity. NORML opined: “For years, producers of these products have navigated in a gray area of the law – manufacturing products of variable and sometimes questionable quality and safety. Now it is time for the FDA to craft benchmark safety and quality standards for hemp-derived CBD products in order to increase consumer satisfaction and confidence as this nascent industry transitions and matures into a legal marketplace.”
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