In a recent referendum, 85% of voters in the City of Ashland supported legalizing recreational or medicinal marijuana for those over the age of 21. 

It’s time that Wisconsin joins dozens of other states, including our neighbors in Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, and Minnesota in marijuana policy reform. 

Not only is it an opportunity to regulate and tax marijuana to generate much-needed revenues, it’s also a compassionate thing to do. 

Marijuana can provide pain relief for people who are suffering without turning to opioids, and legalization can provide an opportunity to right the past wrongs that disproportionately harmed low-income people and communities of color.

The ability to regulate marijuana will ensure the safety of consumer products, and revenues generated by legal sales can address a variety of social needs from transitional housing to behavioral health treatment programs.