Small Wisconsin Town Votes To Support Legalizing Marijuana In Landslide Decision
Wisconsin is still one of the states with the strictest penalties for marijuana. Nearby Minnesota has medicinal marijuana. Neighboring Michigan and Illinois both have recreational adult use as well. Wisconsin currently only allows CBD. It has many in the state frustrated and in the past few years many cities have decriminalized marijuana. This week, a small town in Northern Wisconsin held their election and put an advisory referendum on the ballot concerning legalization of cannabis.
Ashland, Wisconsin is on the shore of Lake Superior in the northern section of Wisconsin. It's a small town of about 8,000 people. It is just 50 miles away from the Michigan border where marijuana is legal for medicinal and recreational use. They voted Tuesday on the ballot, and the results show that the majority of those residents want to see it legalized in some form, with most saying fully recreational use for adults.
60% voted for recreational use. 25% voted for medicinal use only, and 15% voted to keep the laws the same. In broader numbers, 85% of those who voted wanted at least medicinal marijuana to be legal. WDIO reports that 955 votes went to support recreational. 398 votes went to medicinal support, and 234 votes went to the current law.
Interestingly enough, the 60% vote aligns with what many surveys have said across the state of Wisconsin. A study last month showed that 61% of people in the state support full legalization.
So what's next? This will be information that the city hopes to bring to state lawmakers to show them that they think it's time to move forward with marijuana reform at a state level.
Ashland becomes the next of many cities in the state that have taken their own steps to decriminalize marijuana use.
Madison, the capitol of Wisconsin voted to allow marihuana to be even used in public in 2020. The use would be restricted just as cigarettes and vaping devices are.
Other cities that have gone ahead and made their own marijuana friendly laws include:
- Appleton
- Eau Claire
- Green Bay
- Kenosha
- La Crosse
- Madison
- Marshfield
- Manona
- Oshkosh
- Racine
- Stevens Point
- Superior
- Wakesha
- Wausa