Wisconsin Governor Makes Efforts to Allow Citizen Initiatives for Issues Like Cannabis Legalization

Wisconsin’s Democrat Governor Tony Evers signed an executive order last week asking for a special legislative session on October 4, with the goal of allowing citizen initiatives to be on voting ballots.

​Cannabis advocates are hopeful that this could pave the way for marijuana legalization initiatives to be voted on.

Governor Evers said the main reason he is doing this is to find a way to protect reproductive rights, saying this could be the way citizens can repeal old state laws which currently restrict abortion access. But in addition to this, Governor Evers has also been a strong advocate for cannabis legalization, as well, and realizes this method could help the cannabis cause as well.

The executive order says the ability for citizen brought initiatives is necessary because there are “countless instances regarding pressing issues of statewide importance to Wisconsin” where the legislature has “repeatedly rejected or altogether refused to consider policies that have broad and bipartisan public support of the people of the state.”

Despite nearly 70% of all registered voters in Wisconsin saying they believe that cannabis should be legal, lawmakers in the state have consistently failed to work on enacting any legal support for this.

Governor Evers said, “This is the opportunity to live this out, the will of the people as the law of the land.”

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Executive Director Matthew Rothschild spoke of his support of the governor’s executive order, saying, “When We, the People, aren’t getting what we overwhelmingly want, there’s something seriously wrong with our democracy.”

In order for this to be made into law, a resolution must be approved by the state legislature in two consecutive sessions. Right now, Republicans control both the Senate and Assembly, so it’s uncertain if they will allow this path where citizens can submit petitions for brining new initiatives to vote on.

​Some state lawmakers have filed bills to legalize cannabis for adult use—and Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R) has said legalization is “likely” to happen at some point—but the legislature has so far failed to pass even more modest proposals like decriminalization or the legalization of medical cannabis. 

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