The Berlin Cannabis Saga: How a Small Wisconsin Town Became the Quiet Capital of Reform
Most people driving through Berlin, Wisconsin see a quiet river town, stitched together with working-class grit, farm values, and that unmistakable small-town Midwest rhythm. What they don’t see — unless they look deeper — is the decade-long political saga that turned Berlin into one of the most unlikely epicenters of cannabis activism in the state.
Berlin does not brag. Berlin does not flex.
But Berlin moves the needle — and has for years.
This is the story.
Chapter One: The First Sparks – THC Expo Comes to Town
Berlin’s saga didn’t begin in a Capitol office or on a big-city stage.
It began in a library.
When the THC Expo (THC Tour) landed in the Berlin Library, the event didn’t just bring vendors, speakers, and hemp enthusiasts — it brought attention. Real attention. Suddenly a small Wisconsin town had a spotlight on an issue that most communities were too afraid to even whisper about. People showed up. They asked questions. They debated. They learned.
More importantly, they connected.
Berlin wasn’t just hosting an event — Berlin was building a network.
That was the first sign something special was happening here.
Chapter Two: Regional Leaders Converge — and Berlin Becomes the Meeting Ground
The next milestone came when regional marijuana reform leaders gathered in Berlin for a strategy meeting.
This wasn’t an accident.
Berlin had become neutral ground — a place where activists, industry leaders, concerned citizens, and curious officials could talk honestly.
There were no TV cameras.
No partisan theatrics.
Just a group of people trying to move their state forward.
The conversations in those early meetings planted seeds that grew into statewide initiatives. People left Berlin motivated, aligned, and unified. The movement’s backbone began forming right there, in a town most Wisconsinites will never hear mentioned on the news.
But they should.
Chapter Three: The Senator Olsen Moment — When Berlin Flipped a Republican Senator
Every movement has a moment when history shifts — and for Berlin, it happened when Republican Senator Luther Olsen agreed to sit down with medical marijuana activists.
The room was tense that day. Hopeful, but tense.
And then… it happened.
A Republican senator — in rural Wisconsin — signaled support for medical marijuana.
That moment cracked the political ice. It sent a shockwave through the Capitol and set the stage for future bipartisan cooperation. People still talk about it.
Berlin didn’t just host a meeting.
Berlin flipped one of the first Republicans to YES on medical cannabis.
In a state as politically tight as Wisconsin, that was seismic.
Chapter Four: The Teapot Party & Marijuana Mixer — When Berlin Buzzed
Then came the Teapot Party-WiscoCan.org mixer, and Berlin didn’t just buzz — it roared.
Activists, musicians, libertarians, conservatives, progressives, farmers, veterans… they all came. It was the perfect blend of counterculture, patriotism, and grassroots fire. For the first time, cannabis activism wasn’t just educational — it was cultural. It was cool.
Berlin was no longer accidentally hosting cannabis events.
Berlin was becoming a symbol.
And symbols have power.
Chapter Five: City Hall Takes Notice — Berlin Officials Step Into the Ring
The pressure started pushing upward. Berlin wasn’t just attracting activists — it was influencing elected officials.
City council members began speaking publicly about cannabis. Some even predicted high turnouts at city meetings, and they were right — residents showed up in force.
Then Berlin did something most Wisconsin cities wouldn’t dare at the time:
💬 City officials openly discussed legalizing recreational marijuana.
Not symbolic.
Not hypothetical.
A real conversation in a real city hall.
This wasn’t Madison.
This wasn’t Milwaukee.
This was Berlin — population ~5,000 — leading Wisconsin toward its future.
And then came the question that shook the room:
Will Berlin elect a cannabis-friendly mayor?
The conversation alone proved how far the movement had come. Berlin wasn’t just following the cannabis wave — it was generating it.
They did elect a friendly Mayor. And not just once.
Chapter Seven: When the Democrats Came to Town — And Invited the Hemp Crew
As Berlin’s influence in the cannabis movement grew, something interesting started happening behind the scenes — especially during election cycles. When local and regional Democrats organized candidate meet-and-greets, summer picnics, and party gatherings, they began reaching out with a familiar request:
“Can the Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network and Heritage Hemp Farm be there?”
Not as spectators.
Not as quiet observers.
But as featured partners.
It became a pattern — a tradition almost. Each time the Democrats held an event in the district, they invited us to set up, speak, mingle with candidates, and yes… vend hemp-derived cannabinoid products right there next to the campaign tables.
And we did.
Every. Single. Time.
We talked reform with Assembly candidates, Senate candidates, local officials, sheriffs, district attorneys, activists, and party chairs. We sold them hemp products. We answered their questions. And with every conversation, we pushed the culture further than another press release ever could.
Of course, we didn’t show up empty-handed.
Thanks to Ignite Dispensary and Cigar — with BLNCD Naturals and Foundry Nation — always kept us stocked with drinks to share with the crowd, volunteers, and candidates. Nothing brings people together quite like good conversation and good beverages under a Wisconsin sun.
These weren’t one-off appearances.
We did this multiple times, building a reputation as the booth everyone wanted to visit — and the booth everyone definitely remembered.
And then came the day that turned into instant Berlin folklore.
It was the Democratic Party Picnic in Berlin, and the energy was high — elected officials, campaign staff, volunteers, families grilling brats, kids running around, and us posted up with the hemp booth like it was the world’s most wholesome festival.
That’s when it happened.
While Governor Tony Evers and his staff — along with state police detail — were standing directly in front of our booth, we lit up a giant joint.
Not a little one.
Not a polite one.
A Berlin-sized one.
The smell drifted.
The wind carried it.
And the Governor… didn’t flinch.
He smiled. His staff smiled. The state officers stayed stone-faced but politely unmoved. It wasn’t a scandal. It wasn’t an issue.
It was Wisconsin in 2020-something, and it was Berlin, and honestly — it felt normal.
Later, I snapped a photo with Governor Evers that I still bring up anytime someone claims Wisconsin isn’t ready for real reform or that Governor Evers is the problem with Wisconsin. He is not the problem, he is a champion! His track record proves it, Republicans have failed to get any legislation across his desk to sign into law.
Most people tell stories about meeting the Governor.
Berlin tells stories about meeting him through a cloud of hemp smoke.
And that’s the truth of it:
When the Democrats highlight their candidates, when they gather the community, when they want to show support for the future — they invite the cannabis activists from Berlin.
Not because it’s trendy.
Not because it’s performative.
But because for more than a decade, the cannabis movement in this part of Wisconsin has been real, consistent, respected, and impossible to ignore.
Berlin doesn’t just show up at political events.
Berlin is the event.
Chapter Seven: Today — The Saga Continues
Fast forward to today.
I sat down with Joel Bruessel, that former council member and former Mayor of Berlin, he was one of the figures who has stood in the middle of this Berlin story from the beginning. I did not have to pressure him hard into buying the new book I co-authored (The Stoner’s Travel Guide to Wisconsin) and I thank him for his continued support. We talked election coverage, politics, cannabis, strategy… and yes, I asked the question everyone wanted to ask but no one wanted to say out loud:
“Joel, are you running for office again?”
I hinted — maybe more than hinted — that he should run for Governor.
And here’s the part I didn’t expect:
No one in the room laughed. Not a single person.
We all felt the same unspoken truth:
Wisconsin could do worse.
Wisconsin has done worse.
And in a time when real leadership is scarce, someone with local roots, political courage, and a long memory of the battles fought in Berlin might be exactly what the state needs.
The Berlin saga isn’t over.
If anything… it feels like the next chapter is just beginning.
Why Berlin Matters
Berlin taught Wisconsin a lesson:
⚡ Small towns can spark big movements.
⚡ Conversations in community halls can change statewide policy.
⚡ A handful of determined citizens can flip senators.
⚡ And sometimes the future of a state begins in a place nobody expects.
Berlin, Wisconsin may never get the credit it deserves.
But the activists know.
The insiders know.
And history — eventually — will know.
Berlin is where Wisconsin’s cannabis story found its heart.
And it’s still beating strong.
