Wisconsin’s incoming Democratic governor has said he wants to use revenue from legalising cannabis to help offset federal cuts to Medicaid, while senior Democrats in the state legislature say reform is a priority for 2027. The developments were reported by Marijuana Moment.

Governor-elect David Crowley was asked in a CNN interview on Tuesday how Wisconsin would cope with Medicaid cuts enacted under the Republican-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He said he looked forward to working with the new Democratic majority in the legislature to “increase our revenues”, adding: “For example, legalizing marijuana.”

He said Wisconsin was one of very few Midwestern states that had not legalised cannabis. “We’re losing tens of millions of dollars to our neighbors to the south in Illinois and Minnesota and Michigan,” he said.

Legislative leaders

Representative Greta Neubauer was chosen by Democratic colleagues on Tuesday to be the next speaker of the Assembly when the legislature convenes in January. At a press conference after the vote she described legalisation as “a priority for us”.

Asked whether it would be part of the state budget or move as a separate bill, she said: “We’re figuring out exactly where it fits. But we do hope to pass marijuana legalization in the coming year.” Senator Dianne Hesselbein, elected as the next Senate majority leader, said it was “to be determined” whether it would sit in the budget or be a standalone bill.

Last week Neubauer said legalisation was “very popular in the state of Wisconsin” and that Democrats intended to legalise “in the coming year to two years”.

Background

Outgoing Governor Tony Evers, also a Democrat, and party leaders have for years pushed to legalise cannabis for recreational or medical use, but were blocked by Republican majorities. A limited medical cannabis bill cleared one committee this session but went no further. Bills to legalise and regulate cannabis, and a bipartisan bill to decriminalise possession, were filed in the 2026 session but did not advance.

At a debate last month, Crowley said the state should move towards full legalisation, while wanting “guardrails” to protect children and ensure accurate labelling. He said legalisation could bring in between $80 million and $170 million, which would be about £60 million to £130 million at current rates, to invest in healthcare. He has also suggested revenue could fund free pre-kindergarten education.

Supporting figures cited by Marijuana Moment include a Marquette Law School poll released last year, which found two in three Wisconsin voters back legalisation. A legislative analysis estimated that Wisconsin residents spent more than $121 million on cannabis in Illinois in 2022, generating $36 million in tax revenue there. A 2023 state Department of Revenue estimate projected that a legalisation bill would raise nearly $170 million a year in tax revenue.

Why it matters in the UK

Cannabis remains a Class B drug in the UK under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, though specialist doctors have been able to prescribe cannabis-based medicines since 1 November 2018. US state debates over tax revenue and regulation are often cited in UK discussions about reform. No firm timetable has been set in Wisconsin, and any bill would need to pass both chambers and be signed by the governor.