Legalizing opportunity: marijuana legalization can’t wait

Governor Walker and Republicans in the Legislature have squabbled for months about the 2017-2019 state budget to come up with a solution. The one solution that I noted was not discussed was an option that’s been on the table since I introduced it in the Legislature four years ago: legalizing marijuana. The most dangerous thing about marijuana is that it’s illegal. As our budget crisis worsens and we continue to see new evidence to support legalization’s economic benefits, the more unjustifiable — and even foolish — it becomes to put off legalizing marijuana in Wisconsin. But I don’t want you to take my word for it. See the statistics for yourself: mjpolicygroup.com/pubs/MPG%20Impact%20of%20Marijuana%20on%20Colorado-Final.pdf. In 2015 alone, with more than $1 billion in marijuana sales, Colorado’s legal marijuana industry contributed nearly $2.4 billion in economic impacts to the state and has boasted the fastest-growing business sector in Colorado with more than 18,000 jobs created — a powerful economic engine generating more per dollar in economic output and employment than 90 percent of other industries. By 2020, the marijuana industry in Colorado is expected to surpass all other industries as the state’s largest excise revenue source. And it’s not just the numbers that support legalizing marijuana — real, everyday people do, too. Support for marijuana is the highest it’s been since Gallup started asking about it in 1969 — 60 percent of Americans support legalization, an increase of 14 percentage points since 2011. Legalizing marijuana now has more support than any presidential candidate has had in any general election popular vote since 1972. Legislators are running out of excuses for why they cannot support a bill to legalize marijuana and it’s time for us to give marijuana legalization serious consideration in Wisconsin. Wisconsinites are begging for real solutions, fresh ideas and drastic approaches to address our budget crisis. We can’t afford a temporary fix — we need to be willing to take different, unique approaches to create new jobs, jump-start our lagging economy and prioritize middle class families. This bill is not just about legalizing marijuana, it’s about legalizing opportunity. Given the budget crisis we’re up against, Wisconsin simply cannot afford to wait any longer.