July 2018

Marathon County Board approves medical cannabis referendum 19 - 15

The Marathon County Board approved a medical cannabis advisory referendum Tuesday, July 24 by a vote of 19-15 with 4 members abstaining. Supporters in the audience cheered when the vote total was announced. The county becomes the 7th Wisconsin county to approve a cannabis advisory referendum after Milwaukee, Rock, Sauk, Dane, La Crosse and Brown previously did so.

Marathon County Board to vote July 24 on medical cannabis advisory referendum

This week will see a vote in Marathon County by the full county board on the county's proposed cannabis advisory referendum. The board will meet to vote on the referendum Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at 7pm in room B150 at 500 Forest St. in Wausau.

On July 19 the board held an educational meeting on medical cannabis with nine speakers. Supporters are strongly urged to attend the July 24 meeting to help ensure this referendum makes the ballot.

The proposed question for Marathon County is:

La Crosse sixth Wisconsin county to ok November cannabis advisory referendum

La Crosse County supervisors okayed a cannabis legalization advisory referendum for the Nov. 6 ballot Thursday night by a 17-8 margin, becoming the sixth Wisconsin county to do so. The six in order of passage are Milwaukee, Rock, Dane, Sauk, Brown and La Crosse. The combined estimated 2016 population of the six counties totals 2,095,117. The statewide estimated 2018 population is 5,818,049.

Dane County is third county to approve November cannabis advisory vote

In a unanimous vote July 12, Dane County supervisors approved a resolution placing an advisory referendum on cannabis legalization on the November ballot. Milwaukee and Rock counties have previously approved similar resolutions. These referendums are advisory, that is they are non-binding. Only state lawmakers can change state pot laws.

The question that will appear on Dane county voter's ballots is:

"Should marijuana be legalized, taxed and regulated in the same manner as alcohol for adults 21 years of age or older?"

Brown, St. Croix, Langlade and Sauk county cannabis advisory referendums head to full board votes

UPDATED 07/12/2018 7:44:14 AM: A record number of Wisconsin county boards continue to look at the possibility of cannabis legalization advisory referendums for the Nov. 6 ballot. With the Aug. 28 deadline for ballot access fast approaching, boards all over Wisconsin are meeting and debating the issue. Currently at least fourteen counties are working on these referendums as of this writing.

Updated July 12 to reflect subtraction of Walworth County to counties looking at advisory referendums on cannabis.

Here are the latest updates:

Langlade and Walworth join 8 other counties looking at cannabis advisory referendums

UPDATED: Langlade County, the northeastern Wisconsin County home to the city of Antigo is the latest and at least the tenth Wisconsin county to propose placing a cannabis legalization advisory referendum on the Nov. 6 general election ballot. The board's Executive Committee is set to discuss the idea Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 10am in the County Board Room in the lower level of the Safety Building at 840 Clermont Street in Antigo. This is a time for public comments and supporters are strongly encouraged to attend.

Wisconsin cannabis possession arrests surged 5% from 2016 to 2017

New data from 2017 from the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) reveals that arrests for possession of marijuana in Wisconsin increased from 16,245 to 17,022 from 2016 to 2017, an increase of 5%. From 2015 to 2016, pot arrests had gone up almost 9%, from 14,930 to 16,245. Together those increases represent a 14% increase in state pot arrests from 2015 to 2017.

Arrests for sales of cannabis also increased 4% from 2016 to 2017, up from 1,797 to 1,870 arrests.