Gov Evers 2025-27 Bud(get) provisions

We already knew Gov Evers was going to include cannabis (marijuana) legalization in the budget, but the provisions look a little different from the previous budget recommendations. The provisions include:

-Legalize, regulate, and tax the sale of marijuana for recreational use, much like Wisconsin already does with alcohol, if it is sold by a retailer holding a permit issued by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, resulting in $58.1 million in revenue in fiscal year 2026-27 and growing amounts in future years. Additionally, create a process for individuals serving sentences or previously convicted of marijuana-related crimes to have an opportunity to repeal or reduce their sentences for nonviolent minor offenses.

-Create a controlled, safe market for Delta-8 and 9 products by limiting their purchase to those age 21 and older, requiring product testing, and regulating the production, processing, and sale of these products. Further, restrict the production, processing or sale of Delta-8 and 9 products within 500 feet of a school, playground, child care facility, public park, or library and specify that no one under 21 can be employed in the regulated market.

-The Governor recommends legalizing the sale of marijuana for medical and recreational use and regulating and taxing the product much like Wisconsin already does for alcohol. The Governor also recommends including delta-8 THC and similar products in the definition of marijuana to ensure their production, processing and sale is regulated and not available to individuals under 21. The Governor further recommends the imposition of a 15 percent wholesale excise tax and a 10 percent retail excise tax on the sale of marijuana for recreational use by department-issued permit holders.

-The Governor recommends authorizing the Department of Revenue to enter into agreements, parallel to the existing agreements regarding cigarette and tobacco products, for the refund to tribes of marijuana excise taxes estimated to be collected from sales on tribal lands.

The budget process in Wisconsin is full of twists and turns. To get a better understanding of the entire process, the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau published Informational Paper #78 in 2023 – State Budget Process.

The Joint Committee on Finance (or Joint Finance Committee, JFC) could be the most important committees of the Wisconsin Legislature. It is responsible for writing the biennial state budget. It has the authority to approve requests for funding, agency position authority, and state lawsuit settlements.

The committee is 16 members and has an equal number of members from the Assembly and Senate. The Republican Party hold legislative majorities in both houses and Republican caucus leaders are able to appoint most of the members of the committee. I wrote a detailed article about the current members of the Joint Finance Committee: Understanding Wisconsin’s Joint Finance Committee and Its Role in Budgeting.