The Wisconsin State Legislature may pass medical marijuana—with strict conditions

The Wisconsin State Legislature may pass legislation legalizing medical marijuana. If medical marijuana is legalized, there will likely be strict conditions determining which patients can legally access it. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has already made it clear that regardless of its popularity among voters, many Republicans remain firmly against legalizing recreational marijuana.

The possibility of legalization has prompted questions on what medical marijuana could look like in Wisconsin. Barbara Zabawa, a clinical assistant professor at UW-Milwaukee’s College of Health Sciences, offers some insight on what these conditions look like in other similar states and what could happen in Wisconsin.

Zabawa explains that in states where marijuana is legal, there is typically a limit on the amounts that someone may purchase. In states where it’s legal, medical marijuana requires a prescription from an appropriate, prescribing medical authority, typically a doctor. Marijuana-specific laws will also typically prohibit people from other states crossing state lines to purchase the substance.

The conditions for medical marijuana use vary from state to state. In some, state lawmakers create a list of conditions that qualify for medical marijuana prescriptions; in other states, prescribing physicians have the discretion to decide which conditions can be treated by medical marijuana. It’s unclear what medical evidence would be necessary for a condition to be included on a potential list, since most research has been obstructed by the federal legal status of marijuana.

[Read more at WUWM]