Wisconsin is on the verge of expanding the state’s medical cannabis regime; however the proposal still does not allow products with any THC.
According to a report from the Journal Sentinel, Senate Bill 10 is set to be taken up by the Assembly on Tuesday after passing the Senate 31-1 last month. A companion bill was already passed unanimously by the Assembly Committee on Children and Families. The bill is sponsored by 35 of the state’s 99 representatives.
The measure would allow patients with any medical condition to use CBD therapies so long as they have been certified by a doctor. Patients would need to be recertified annually. Under current law, only patients suffering from seizure disorders are allowed to possess CBD products. Advocates have called Lydia’s Law, approved in 2014, too restrictive, making it difficult for families and physicians to access the program.
Similar legislation passed the Assembly two years ago but was blocked in the Senate by three Republican members.
Sen. Van Wanggaard, a Republican and one of the bill’s lead sponsors, indicated that the bill is not legalization of medical cannabis. The former police officer believes that enacting a more comprehensive medical cannabis program would lead to recreational use.
“It’ll be a while before we get to anything like medical marijuana,” he said in the report.
The measure doesn’t include provisions to cultivate or manufacture cannabis for medical products in the state, and patients will still need to make their purchases online.