The state of Wisconsin isn’t wasting time when it comes to passing legislation that would legalize the possession and use of CBD oil, extracted from medical cannabis plants, to be used with a physician’s recommendation for seizure conditions, as well as a handful of other conditions that have a chance at finding relief through the non-psychoactive cannabinoid. The only thing this bill does not go far enough to do is provide in-state access, instead forcing patients and caregivers to break federal law and cross state lines with medicine brought in from states where it is made legally.
“I’m not an expert on medical marijuana, but I certainly have no problem with saying, ‘If you have a sincere medical need and your doctor prescribes it and it’s done under the normal process of any other opiate, I would be open to that.’” – Assembly Speaker Robin Vos
At the very least, this bill is a start for the state after a failed attempt in 2014, where a similar bill introduced to the Assembly was eventually denied in a Senate Committee. This time the bill was introduced in the Senate and was passed with a huge majority of 31-1, sending it over to the Assembly for review. While it was expected that it would pass, we can now officially say that it did with a unanimous vote of 98-0 in favor of the bill. This really goes to show that, at least on some level, the majority of people – Democrat and Republican alike – believe that patients deserve the option of some form of medical cannabis if it has potential to work.
“As we move forward with the CBD issues in the state of Wisconsin, for me, it’s bittersweet because we’ve seen hundreds of families come through and talk to us about the need for a bill that works and is effective and now we’re able to deliver,” said Rep. Scott Krug, who was the co-author of the bill.
The bill now goes over to Governor Scott Walker, who has expressed support for the bill in the past and is expected to sign it into law – at which point gaining a physician’s recommendation and medicating with CBD oil will finally be an option for many patients suffering from epilepsy and a number of other chronic and debilitating ailments. It’s unfortunate that it’s taken this long – and it still doesn’t provide access to full strength medical cannabis, and still leaves out many conditions – but everything has to start somewhere and now Wisconsin has their starting point.
