Wisconsin gov again includes adult-use marijuana legalization in budget proposal

Two companion bills introduced in Wisconsin and included in Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal would legalize adult-use marijuana retail and personal home grows.

Assembly Bill 50 and Senate Bill 45, introduced Tuesday, would regulate marijuana like alcohol, according to The Marijuana Herald.

Under the proposal included in Evers’ 2025-27 budget plan:

• Cannabis products would carry a 15% wholesale excise tax and a 10% retail excise tax.
• Six plants could be grown at home.
• Wisconsin residents 21 and older could possess up to 2 ounces of marijuana.
• Nonresidents would be allowed to possess up to a quarter ounce of flower, a rare distinction if approved.

The state’s Department of Revenue would oversee licensing and regulation, and permits would be selected through a scoring system, The Marijuana Herald reported.

Cultivators and processors would be required to secure separate permits from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

In another contrast to most adult-use markets, delta-8 and delta-10 would be regulated as marijuana.

The bill also would carve out allowances to expunge records and review sentences for those with marijuana-related convictions.

A year ago, a limited medical marijuana legalization bill in Wisconsin proposed by Republican lawmakers failed to advance in the state Assembly.

In 2023, Republican lawmakers rejected an adult-use legalization proposal presented by Evers.

Wisconsin is one of only nine states without a medical or recreational marijuana market, according to MJBizDaily research.