Republican Senate leader calls plan for state-run marijuana dispensaries a 'non-starter'

Hope Karnopp and Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
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A new Republican bill that would legalize marijuana in Wisconsin for medicinal purposes could be in jeopardy after the GOP leader of the state Senate said Thursday a key provision to create state-run dispensaries is a "non-starter" for his caucus.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said the bill would need to be modified in order to gain support among Senate Republicans, comments made shortly after Senate President Chris Kapenga tweeted opposition to the bill.

Mjs Assem 11 Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg.
Mjs Assem 11 Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg.

"My caucus, and maybe for a lot of members of the Assembly caucus, we campaign on controlling the size of government," LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, said at a WisPolitics.com luncheon Thursday.

LeMahieu said the bill's creation of state-run dispensaries is the main issue among members of the Senate GOP's "relatively conservative caucus," comparing the idea to "a DMV for medical marijuana."But LeMahieu also added there "are a lot of good things in the bill" and did not rule out a compromise.

Kapenga, R-Delafield, tweeted Thursday he did not believe enough evidence exists to conclude marijuana is an effective treatment.

He said while the bill "makes efforts to reduce abuse, data on the efficacy of marijuana as a treatment is inconclusive at best, with dangerous and harmful effects at worst, including public safety concerns."

More: These 7 details in GOP medical marijuana bill in Wisconsin could be key to debate

The public opposition of Senate Republicans coupled with the lukewarm reception from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers creates significant hurdles for Assembly Republicans to pass the measure in its current form.

Wisconsin is one of 12 states where recreational or medical marijuana is not available. Democratic lawmakers and Evers have for years called for the legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical use but have been blocked so far by GOP legislative leaders.

Vos said last week the bill has the support of at least 50 Republicans in the Assembly, which would be enough to pass the proposal without Democratic votes. Vos said there would be hearings in the next few weeks and the Assembly would pass it before it adjourns in February.

The plan calls for five dispensaries managed by the state Department of Health Services in each Medicaid region, which Republicans said would mark the first time a state has run dispensaries.

When asked why Republicans supported government-run businesses in this scenario, Vos said marijuana is still illegal under federal law.

"We want to guarantee that law enforcement knows that it's well-controlled and well-documented," Vos said.

Hope Karnopp and Molly Beck can be reached at hkarnopp@gannett.com and molly.beck@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Senate GOP leader calls state-run marijuana dispensaries 'non-starter'