Leading state lawmakers have announced their intentions to advance legislation next session legalizing the adult use marijuana market.
“Wisconsin is among the nation’s leaders in marijuana possession arrests and it is remains one of the few states lacking significant medical cannabis access or legal protections,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “It’s time for the Badger State to shed these dubious distinctions and enact cannabis policies grounded in health, safety, compassion, and that align with voters’ sentiments. Patients and those who consume cannabis responsibly have waited long enough.”
In recent days, both Governor-elect David Crowley and Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, who is poised to become speaker next year, have publicly expressed support for enacting legalization. Specifically, Rep. Neubauer said, “We intend to listen to the voters of Wisconsin and the people of our state and legalize marijuana in the coming year to two years.”
In the mid-term election, Democrats flipped both the Senate and the Assembly.
Senator Mark Spreitzer, who serves as chair of the Democratic Caucus, said he is “very optimistic about the possibility of marijuana being legalized” under the legislature’s new Democratic majority. “I think we’re going to be able to get it done.”
According to the results of a 2025 Marquette University poll, 67 percent of Wisconsin voters think that “the use of marijuana should be made legal.” However, in recent years, legislative efforts to reform the state’s marijuana laws had been stonewalled by Republican leadership.
Last year, police in Wisconsin made nearly 11,500 marijuana possession arrests – the third highest total of any state in the nation. Under state law, possessing any amount of cannabis is classified as a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Pennsylvania is one of several states – along with Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, and Texas – where reform-friendly candidates gained significant victories in the midterm election.
Additional information on Election Day results is available from NORML’s Election Central.