Wisconsin governor to include marijuana legalization plan in budget, despite GOP opposition



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Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has included plans to legalize recreational and medical marijuana as part of his new two-year budget, seeking to generate $ 165 million.

Evers is said to aim to use the money raised from sales of marijuana to fund rural schools and the state’s poorest communities.

“Legalizing and taxing marijuana in Wisconsin – as we already do with alcohol – ensures a controlled market and safe products available to recreational and medicinal users and can open the door to countless opportunities for us to reinvest in our. communities and create a more equitable state, ”Evers said.

Tony Evers, Democratic candidate for governor of Wisconsin, speaks during a campaign rally for Democratic candidates in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States on Monday, October 22, 2018. Senator Bernie Sanders visited Wisconsin in the part of a movement of nine states with to give a boost to progressive candidates ahead of the midterm elections on November 6.  Photographer: Daniel Acker / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tony Evers, Democratic candidate for governor of Wisconsin, speaks during a campaign rally for Democratic candidates in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States on Monday, October 22, 2018. Senator Bernie Sanders visited the Wisconsin in a nine-state swing with to give progressive candidates a boost ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm election. Photographer: Daniel Acker / Bloomberg via Getty Images
(Getty Images)

“Frankly, the Red and Blue states across the country have moved forward with legalization and there is no reason Wisconsin should be left behind when we know it is supported by a majority of Wisconsinites.”

Evers also said the sales would generate more revenue for the state, create jobs and reduce criminal justice costs, WPR reported.

Voters in 16 counties in Wisconsin and two major cities supported the use of marijuana, most of which was linked to medical marijuana.

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The motion will likely be blocked by the Republican-controlled legislature. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester recently said he would support the legalization of medical marijuana, but not recreational marijuana.

Vos has requested that the issue of recreational use be treated separately from the state budget, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

State Senator Kathy Bernier, R-Chippewa Falls, called the governor’s proposal “a source of division.”

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“At the end of the day, he knows, I know, we know that the Republican legislature is not going to legalize marijuana, per se,” Bernier said. “So let’s talk about the things we can do and work together.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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