Legalizing medical marijuana may be gaining ground in public opinion in Wisconsin and around the country, but even with wins at the ballot box it probably won’t be happening anytime soon. The momentum, however, is hard to ignore — even for opponents.
“I think stopping the marijuana reform train is impossible in this country,” said Dr. Michael Miller, an addiction psychiatrist at Rogers Memorial Hospital in Oconomowoc and past president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. “We’ve seen what the public says it wants.”
Eighteen referendums related to marijuana were on the ballots in different parts of the state in November. Four were non-binding referendums on recreational marijuana. But the bulk of the advisory questions asked voters whether the state should approve medical marijuana.
“I think our No. 1 responsibility is to alleviate human suffering,” said Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, who along with Miller spoke Tuesday at a Wisconsin Health News event at the Madison Club.
Taylor and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, have unsuccessfully pushed for medical marijuana. [Read more at Duluth News Tribune]