Wisconsin Tribal Groups Launch Campaign to Push for Medical Cannabis Legalization

LOS ANGELES- A new campaign to legalize medical cannabis in Wisconsin has been launched by the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association and the Wisconsin Tribal Task Force on Cannabis. The initiative, named Wisconsin Wellness, aims to persuade state lawmakers to legalize medical cannabis for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and chronic pain.

Wisconsin remains one of the few Midwestern states without legal medical or recreational cannabis and lacks a direct ballot initiative system, requiring any changes to state cannabis laws to go through the legislature.

During a press conference, Michael Decorah, founder of the Wisconsin Tribal Task Force on Cannabis, emphasized the difficulty residents face in accessing cannabis-based treatments. “Our citizens are having to make a choice of whether to really commit a crime to go get their medicine and bring it back to the state,” Decorah said.

State Senator Melissa Agard, a Democrat from Madison, voiced her support for the campaign, noting that legalizing and taxing cannabis in Wisconsin could generate over $160 million in annual tax revenue, similar to neighboring states like Illinois and Michigan, which have already legalized both medical and recreational cannabis. Despite the potential financial and health benefits, pro-cannabis measures have faced strong resistance in Wisconsin’s GOP-controlled legislature.

Tribal leaders, who have taken similar steps in other states, such as North Carolina and Minnesota, see this campaign as an opportunity to advance cannabis legalization in Wisconsin. Some tribes have already initiated cannabis-related reforms, like the Ho-Chunk Nation, which decriminalized cannabis on tribal lands earlier this year.

The campaign aims to raise awareness and push lawmakers toward a legal framework for regulated medical cannabis use, ensuring access to safe, controlled treatments.