State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, announced Wednesday he will reintroduce legislation that would legalize medicinal marijuana in Wisconsin.
The Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act was originally introduced in 2009 but was defeated despite a democratic majority in both the House and Senate.
The legislation, sponsored by Pocan and state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, would allow all patients to obtain a state medical marijuana license registered with the Department of Health Services. The license would only be available for people with specific conditions including cancer, glaucoma and AIDS.
It would set limits on the amount of marijuana a patient is authorized to have, impose regulations on nonprofit organizations that distribute marijuana and prohibit the arrest of a doctor who provides a certification in good faith.
Pocan stressed the importance of reintroducing the bill even though he acknowledged it is unlikely to pass this session.
“By being able talk about this one more time we’re going to continue to build … support and I am certain at some point we will pass this in Wisconsin,” Pocan said.
Mike Mikalsen, aide to state Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, does not think the bill will pass and said it is an attempt to start the process of legalizing marijuana for non-medical purposes.
“The bill hasn’t really changed very much from last time when legitimate concerns were raised about it, and even Democrats could not stomach this attempt to legalize illicit drug use,” Mikalsen said.
Dr. Angela Janis, a member of the Wisconsin Medical Society, joined Pocan at a press conference announcing the bill and said medicinal marijuana can be important in treating “debilitating diseases.”
“There is now support for the benefit of [medical] marijuana in many conditions including cancer and chemotherapy side effects, HIV, chronic pain, wasting syndrome, glaucoma, and muscle spasms,” Janis said.
A spokesperson for the Wisconsin Medical Society said the organization disagrees, saying “adequate and well-controlled studies” of smoked marijuana still need to be conducted.
“Smoked marijuana should not be used for therapeutic reasons without scientific data regarding its safety and efficacy for specific indications,” the WMS said in a statement.
Pocan and Erpenbach are currently seeking co-sponsors for the bill.
