Evers wants to legalize marijuana in Wisconsin; challenger Michels wants it to stay banned

Democratic incumbent Gov. Tony Evers and his Republican challenger Tim Michels are on opposite sides of whether marijuana should be legal in Wisconsin, a change that a majority of voters want state lawmakers to make.

Evers, who is seeking a second term, is planning to again propose legalizing marijuana in the next state budget if he is re-elected. The plan, which would require users to be 21 to purchase, is estimated to generate $166 million in revenue that Evers wants to use to help fund schools.

Michels, a construction executive, does not support legalizing marijuana — a position mirrored by Republicans who control the state Legislature who have blocked Evers’ marijuana proposals twice already.

A spokeswoman for Michels did not respond to a request for comment, but in recent months, Michels suggested the idea would lead to the legalization of harmful substances.

“I do not support the legalization of marijuana,” Michels said in an interview in May on WTAQ. “I think it’s all a slippery slope. I really do.”

Sixty-nine percent of Wisconsin voters polled in August by the Marquette University Law School said they support legalizing marijuana. Twenty-three percent said they did not want marijuana legalized and 8% said they didn’t have an opinion.

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