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.
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.
The Eau Claire area marijuana activists are on the move in more ways than one. During the 2009-2010 push to legalize medical marijuana and pass the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act, supporters in that area attended the variety of rallies held in Madison, participated in statewide awareness events, engaged their local elected officials and developed a following that lead to a very successful ‘420′ Event for 2011.
Eau Claire NORML
Without immediate pending legislation, Wisconsin has become even more active as supporters have spearheaded initiatives statewide. From Southeastern to Northern Wisconsin, the heart of Madison and the rural country side, supporters cannot sit still any longer. Events, rallies, meetings, protests, concerts, book signings, festivals, speaking engagements, community awareness, parades and more have already happened or planned for 2011. A unique opportunity is coming up for some as A Cannabis Fair is planned for July 23rd in a small town named Kendall and not too many activists are going to miss it. Eau Claire Area NORML have announced via their facebook page a Caravan to Kendall, WI. for “A Cannabis Fair”
EauClaire NORML invites: anyone interested in cannabis, medical marijuana, or prohibition reform. Everyone is welcome to come along. This is a family friendly event, and will host speakers from all walks of life, including Jacob Sieg from Eau Claire, WI., live music and tons of information. The EauClaire NORML chapter is arranging for vehicles, and some gas to help those that would like to come, but do not have a reliable car. Please do not be afraid to ask about a ride. If you have a legal Wisconsin drivers licence and would be willing to drive a donated vehicle please let me know. If you are bringing your own vehicle and have room please post on the page. Lets get everyone in Eau Claire that wants to attend the event a ride. Thank you all and I look forward to seeing you soon.. Kendall, WI. is 90 miles from Eau Claire, and will take about one hour and fourty-five minutes to travel.
Of course we all know everything marijuana reform related in the budget was killed, gutted and left on the battle field, much like medical marijuana patients in Wisconsin. Assembly Rep John Nygren and Senator Darling took credit for that in an April 2019 interview. Even before this session, Nygren has been a vocal opponent of marijuana reform.
Representative John Nygren Assembly District 89 (R – Marinette)
But wait, what is this that comes along … a 2019 GOP Spring Survey sponsored by the GOP Assembly Representatives including John Nygren. In the spring of 2019 after overwhelming support in the Wisconsin public marijuana referendums the previous fall, many of the Assembly GOP members held a spring survey which was posted online and sent in the email to people on their mailing list. The results of Assembly Representative Republican John Nygren (Marinette) spring survey are not surprising as 70.76% of his district supported medical marijuana. Wisconsin’s 89th Assembly District encompasses areas of Marinette, Oconto, Peshtigo, Pound, Coleman, Suamico, Howard, Abrams, Sobieski and the surrounding areas
Even though the question was poised in a slanted tone, medical marijuana still prevailed as more popular than elected officials. Here was the question poised to voters in his district by the GOP Assembly Spring Survey and the results his office sent me:
In our 2019 Spring Budget Survey we posed the following question:
Legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes has been proposed. Law enforcement, educators and the medical community oppose legalization. Which best describes your views on marijuana legalization?
The following are the number of responses that we received for each of the answers made available:
A) I do not support any legalization of marijuana use – 178
B) I support full decriminalization of marijuana for recreational or medical use – 197
C) I support limited medical legalization only – 234
I hope this information answers your question.
Cali Keller, Office of Representative John Nygren 89th Assembly District (608)-266-2343.
Watch this office continue to hint at medical marijuana reform as the 2020 vote comes near, all Republicans will. Saying medical marijuana is a vote collector to the Republicans now. What we need from these people is more than lip service. For decades Republicans have stalled out marijuana reform. We want JOBS, we want tax revenue, we want new industry, we want less government in our lives, we want marijuana reform, but Wisconsin needs it.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has announced that he will run for Congress. The announcement was made Tuesday on 1130 WISN-AM out of Milwaukee. He will be running to replace outgoing Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner.
Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, has been an unwavering supporter of prohibition in Wisconsin. He is well known in the cannabis community for saying “I don’t see the support for it” and “I don’t support it” when he was asked about medical cannabis. With the progress being made in regards to cannabis at the Federal level, is Senator Fitzgerald the right choice to represent our interests in the big league?
As someone working toward sensible cannabis laws in Wisconsin, I certainly do not want to send such a message to Washington. The outdated beliefs controlling our State Legislature is not something I personally want to share with the world. As we become surrounded by states that have legalized cannabis along side a large percentage of Wisconsin voters who have weighed in on the topic, Senator Fitzgerald still doesn’t see the support. I can only hope someone who does see the support will enter the race and give us a real option.
We will be meeting on the corner of Main and Webster in Green Bay on Friday April 6th, 2012 at 2pm. Things to bring:
Water, it’ll probably be hot.
Petitions, can be printed from here https://www.northernwinorml.org/pyo/
there is one for medical, ending federal prohibition, and legalizing hemp (we are currently in desperate need of all three).
Signs, the only rule is no signs that say “Honk for….” this will cause the police to stop and interfere.
$5, if you are interested in making a donation for an activist kit.
See ya guys out there!
Click to visit the Northern Wisconsin NORML Facebook Page
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