Assembly Rep. Barbara Dittrich Daughter faces charges
Republican assembly representative Barbara Dittrich from Oconomowoc was just elected in 2018 and in her candidate interview stated she is “vehemently opposed to THC in any form” has not co-sponsored any legislation on marijuana reform at all during her first two years in office. Despite her opposition, her office conducted a 2019 Spring GOP Survey which she asked her voting base which responded with support of marijuana reform.
During 2019, the Assembly Republicans prefilled a bill for the 2020 legislative session to create a medical marijuana program in Wisconsin (Assembly Bill 750) which she failed to co-sponsor despite public and district support. Now late into the 2020 session, Rep. Dittrich is flip-flopping on her social media policy and maybe giving public statements asking for a public hearing on the issue, it is unclear as her office does not return our phone calls or messages.
Dittrich won re-election in 2020 against Melissa Winker. Winker is now seeking a Senate seat in the special election.
I thought maybe we would see Rep Dittrich in the news as a candidate in the special election for Senate District 13 vacated by Scott Fitzgerald, but instead, I read her name in the news when her daughter was arrested for marijuana and a few other things.
This recent incident and public statement reported from Dittrich sheds more light on the legislator to cannabis activists. Will she be poised to take over the HOPE Agenda of retiring Rep. John Nygren, will she join her fellow Republicans in the bi-partisan push to regulate medical marijuana, will she join the bi-partisan push to decriminalize cannabis or will she break ranks from Republicans and become the first Republican to author or co-author an adult use cannabis bill?
Rep. Dittrich issued a statement saying her daughter is a young adult and needs support as she takes responsibility for her well-being.
“Every family who suffers through the pain of addiction, regardless of the specific form which it presents, has their own private story of trial and sorrow,” Barbara Dittrich said. “Now you know part of my family’s story and what impacts some of my legislative decisions. Given this recent incident, I will fight all the harder for those facing similar circumstances as long as I remain in the Wisconsin state Legislature.” – source
Which ever way Rep. Dittrich goes, we still need all of our elected officials to make marijuana reform a priority, sign and share the petition below:
