The Wisconsin Senate has rejected two amendments to a budget bill that would have legalized marijuana—putting lawmakers on record about the popular voter-supported policy.
After Republican senators stripped cannabis provisions from the governor’s budget in committee last month, Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) gave the full chamber a chance to enact the reform, with one omnibus amendment that would have restored several administrative priorities including marijuana legalization and another clean measure focused exclusively on legalizing cannabis.
The standalone marijuana reform amendment failed on the floor in a party-line vote of 22-11 on Wednesday.
“We know that Wisconsin is continuing to be more and more of an island to prohibition in the Midwest,” Agard told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview on Wednesday. “We are falling behind in Wisconsin. We are more dangerous because of the prohibition of cannabis.”
Republicans just rejected #cannabis legalization in our state budget. Legalization will generate significant revenue in our state and our communities. While Republicans like to say they are the party of “fiscal responsibility,” rejecting this amendment is fiscally irresponsible. pic.twitter.com/fMaZkaoY0v
— Senator Melissa Agard 🌻 (@SenatorAgard) June 28, 2023
“We’re taking up the state budget today,” she added, and the state
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