The state legislature of Wisconsin is considering passing a bill to legalize medical marijuana. It’s likely that if medicinal marijuana is authorized, there will be stringent requirements for which individuals qualify. Even while it’s widely supported by voters, many Republicans still oppose legalizing recreational marijuana, as Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has already made plain.
There have been inquiries on the future of medical marijuana in Wisconsin should it become legalized. The clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin–College Milwaukee’s of Health Sciences, Barbara Zabawa, discusses the possible outcomes of these illnesses in Wisconsin and how they have played out in similar states.
According to Zabawa, there is often a cap on how much marijuana one can buy in states where it is legal. A medical professional, usually a doctor, must write a prescription for medical marijuana in places where it is permitted. In most cases, residents of one state cannot legally purchase marijuana in another state due to the latter’s stricter regulations on the matter.
In some states, medical marijuana can be used under different conditions than in others. Some states have enacted laws specifying medical conditions for which marijuana can be prescribed, whereas, in others, individual doctors make that determination. Since the most study has been hampered by the federal legal status of marijuana, it is unclear what medical evidence would be required for a condition to be put on a possible list.
As Zabawa puts it, “clinical research has been very, very constrained because of the drug status of being a Schedule 1 banned narcotic,” and the DEA hasn’t changed its mind. Therefore, research using an illegal substance is challenging, and it’s highly unlikely that any federal agency would provide funds for such research.
Approximately 30 states in the United States have made marijuana legal for medical or recreational use, so the legal way forward, according to Zabawa, is straightforward. However, medical marijuana legalization has been a more contentious issue on the political front.
“Personally, I find the political atmosphere to be the greater obstacle. For me, that’s the greatest obstacle our state would have to overcome “Zabawa claims.
