Cannabis Dispensary - Photo by The New York Times
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) – Senate Democratic leader Melissa Agard was joined by Wausau mayor Katie Rosenberg on Thursday night to discuss the legalization of cannabis in Wisconsin.
Agard discussed issues such as cannabis tourism and how neighboring states like Michigan and Illinois legalized cannabis use in their states. According to a recent document from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB), sales of cannabis to Wisconsin citizens accounted for $36.1 million in Illinois cannabis tax revenues in 2022.
One Wausau resident criticized Agard’s claim that cannabis prohibition is more dangerous than cannabis usage itself saying, “The first thing in the hypocritic oath is do no harm…and we know that with sizeable usage that there is harm. We see that with young adults…and sometimes not young adults…that their contributions to society and their lives are not where they would be (if they weren’t using cannabis).”
The resident noted what he considered a contradiction between smoking cannabis being a good thing and smoking cigarettes being a bad thing saying, “We’ve spent almost all of my adult life telling people that smoking is bad and secondhand smoke is also bad and we’ve done our best as a society to stomp it out…but now here you’re proposing that this kind of smoking is okay…and I have a problem with that.”
According to the NIH (National Institute of Health), “Smoking marijuana can damage the human lung, leading to chronic bronchitis and increased susceptibility to lung infections. It contains levels of volatile chemicals and tar similar to tobacco smoke, raising concerns about the risk of cancer and lung disease.”
The NIH also cites research that links cannabis use to severe mental health issues saying, “Evidence has linked cannabis use to earlier onset of psychosis in people with genetic risk factors for psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, as well as worse symptoms in people who already have these conditions. Although less consistent, there is also evidence linking cannabis use to other mental illnesses and self-harm, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors.”
“Using statistical models, the study from NIDA estimated that as many as 30% of cases of schizophrenia among men aged 21-30 might have been prevented by averting cannabis use,” the NIH continued to cite.
People who work in the industry were present at the event but did not speak. According to Vice, cannabis lobbying groups are spending up to $60,000 a month apiece trying to win friends and persuade lawmakers to see their point of view. Vice also cites lobbying disclosure records, that show a handful of cannabis trade groups spent $1.3 million lobbying Congress in 2018 alone. Based on initial filings, spending in recent years has easily surpassed that amount.
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