Republicans Sitting Out Medical Cannabis Reform While Democrats Extend the Hand

Despite overwhelming public support and bipartisan flashes of cooperation, Wisconsin’s Republicans continue to stymie meaningful progress on medical-marijuana reform. Their reluctance to genuinely engage with Democrats — and their hesitation even to form a bipartisan cannabis caucus — is preventing the state from catching up to the many jurisdictions that have already moved on these issues.

Missed opportunities, partisan process

In October 2025 the legislature saw a Republican-authored medical cannabis bill — sponsored by leadership in the Senate — fast-tracked to a public hearing. On its face this might look like progress. But a closer look reveals the same old partisan dynamic: the bill was drafted behind closed doors, with limited opportunity for amendment or co-sponsorship from Democrats. As one writer observed, “the legislation is just the same repeat and rinse of previous efforts.”

At the same time, opposition or skepticism among Republicans remains an under-discussed roadblock. One Democrat, Andrew Hysell (D-Sun Prairie), told reporters that he supports medical cannabis but criticized the bill for its flaws: namely that it does not allow for home-growing and prohibits smokable flower, and that it leaves patients exposed to inflated prices via pharmacy access. Daily Dodge

Hysell’s remarks underscore an important reality: reformers are ready to work. The missing piece is meaningful Republican engagement.

Bipartisanship talk, but no real handshake

Hysell has indicated that he supports the creation of a “Wisconsin Cannabis Caucus” as a strong first step toward collaborative reform. That’s encouraging — but the caucus remains in limbo. The fact that Republicans have been hesitant even to commit to forming a bipartisan caucus speaks volumes. If the GOP leadership truly believes in medical-marijuana reform, why not join the caucus, co-sponsor the bill, and work across the aisle to shape policy? Instead they appear content to lead a process exclusively among Republicans, limiting input and widening suspicion.

Why this matters

The stakes are high. Thousands of Wisconsinites suffer from conditions that may benefit from regulated medical cannabis use. A narrowly constructed, GOP-only bill that forbids smokable flower, omits home-grow, and imposes high license fees and structural hurdles isn’t enough. Moreover, when reform is pursued in a partisan vacuum, the result is less durable, less flexible, and more susceptible to lobbying bottlenecks or enforcement headaches.

By failing to sit at the table with Democrats and proactively build a broad coalition (including patients, doctors, reform-advocates, and industry stakeholders), Republicans risk letting Wisconsin fall further behind peer states — and sacrificing the health, economic, and regulatory benefits of a well-designed medical-cannabis system.

GOP inaction, reformers left waiting

It’s a curious irony: Republicans tout the virtues of regulation and market-based solutions in many other contexts, yet on medical cannabis they default to top-down restriction, limited access, and an aversion to collaborative policy-making. Meanwhile, Democrats and patient advocates are ready, but find themselves waiting.

Hysell’s critique is telling: “It does not allow you to grow your own plants… Individuals should be able to grow a small number of plants themselves. It’s more cost-effective, especially when it’s for medical purposes.” Daily Dodge That view is gaining traction nationally — but the GOP’s reluctance to fully embrace it, or even meet with Democrats to hammer out a consensus, stymies forward momentum.

The bipartisan caucus that never was

The creation of a bipartisan cannabis caucus wouldn’t be a radical departure — it would simply codify what reformers are already trying to do: bring legislators from both parties together to shape common-sense policy. Hysell has made clear he would support such a caucus. Yet to date, that step remains unformed. Why?

The answer may be simple: risk. Republicans fear that opening up the process allows Democrats to push for broader reforms (including full adult-use legalization) — and thus they prefer to keep medical cannabis under tight control. But this caution comes at a cost: delay, missed opportunity, and even resistance from within their own ranks. As noted in the Selthofner piece: “Without the help from Democrats, [the bill] is all but doomed to die.”

What needs to happen

For Wisconsin to move forward, here’s what must change:

• Republicans must stop treating reform as a “Republican bill” and instead commit to genuine bipartisan co-sponsorship and negotiation.
• They must support the formation of a bipartisan cannabis caucus, allowing for cross-party dialogue, shared drafting, and ongoing collaboration.
• The bill needs to be expanded to include home-growing, smokable flower (if medically appropriate), equitable licensing, and reasonable regulatory fees — aligning with both patient needs and the agricultural industry’s role in the state.
• The legislative process must be transparent, allowing input from both parties, from patients and growers, not simply shoved through a fast-tracked hearing without meaningful time for amendment.

Conclusion

Wisconsin’s medical-marijuana reform is at a crossroads. On one side: a Republican-led proposal that may check some boxes but lacks sufficient input, shared ownership, and patient-centric flexibility. On the other: reformers and Democrats who are ready, willing, and eager to participate — and who believe a bipartisan caucus could be the bridge to real progress.

Yet the GOP holds the keys. Their choice: either lead a reform process in isolation (and risk failure or narrow policy) — or embrace collaboration, build a caucus, share authorship, and deliver the kind of medical-cannabis framework that patients, farmers, and advocates have been asking for. The question now: will Republicans step up, or continue to sit on the sidelines while opportunity passes by?

The Senate committee held a public hearing on Oct 22nd, but has not scheduled the legislation for a floor vote. I will continue to report on the issue and will keep a close eye on the Assembly Committee and Chair Clint Moses. During the public hearing Rep. Moses was encouraged by Senate Republicans to hold a hearing on their bill. I highly doubt Chair Moses will do, since last session he was the co-author of the Assembly medical marijuana proposal with Speaker Robin Vos. Moses DID NOT hold a public hearing on his own bill last session and is all ready showing signs he will do the same this session.

On June 17th, 2025 I received an email from Rep. Clint Moses regarding the results of the 2025 Budget Survey that included a questions about cannabis reform. You can view the entire survey results in Rep. Moses Newsletter entitled “The Moses Message“.

Assembly Bill 547 is currently sitting in the Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care
Members are:
Representative Moses (Chair)

Representative Brooks (Vice-Chair)

Representative Dittrich

Representative Gundrum

Representative Kitchens

Representative Neylon

Representative Snyder

Representative Summerfield

Representative VanderMeer

Representative Wichgers

Representative Subeck

Representative Stubbs

Representative Vining

Representative Johnson

Representative Mayadev