Cash-strapped governments around the country have found a silver lining in the pandemic-caused loss of tax revenue. Legalized marijuana has provided millions to state and local governments - in some cases, millions more than anticipated.

The ability to raise tax dollars has been a selling point for marijuana legalization from the beginning. Long before the state legislature approved adult-use sales, Illinois politicians hoped marijuana could help the state pay off some of its massive debt. Other states, such as Colorado, have used sales tax dollars to fund schools and public improvement projects and programs.

Since it was federally legalized in December 2018 by the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp—which is non-psychoactive cannabis—has had a rocky start, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) finally published the final rule overseeing the nation’s hemp growing program. This final rule, effective Monday, March 22, will not affect Wisconsin growers just yet, but it will mark a tremendous change for our hemp growers in months to come.

The next stop for the legalization bandwagon might be the Badger State. 

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers unveiled details of his budget proposal on Monday, which included a proposal to regulate and tax marijuana that he says will produce a windfall of revenue for the state.

“My 2021-23 budget proposes regulating and taxing marijuana much like we do alcohol,” Evers said in a post on Twitter. “States across the country have moved forward with legalization, and there’s no reason Wisconsin should be left behind.”

Most of Illinois’ recreational marijuana dispensaries are bunched up near the Wisconsin state border. This could be chalked up to the proximity to Chicago, but dispensaries like the Mapleglen Care Center in Rockford, Ill., a 20-minute drive from Wisconsin, or even the Sunnyside dispensary in South Beloit, Ill., clearly exist to take advantage of Wisconsinites’ dollars.

Wisconsin hemp groups say the state’s decision to delay new regulations will keep CBD growers from suffering under more restrictive regulations.

The state of Wisconsin is among 16 states with no legal cannabis industry jobs, according to a study by Leafly, a website that provides information about marijuana and connects licensed retailers to consumers. 

The state has not approved either recreational or medicinal marijuana products and thus has no legal cannabis sales, the report states. 

Nationwide, the $10.7 billion legal cannabis industry supports the equivalent of 243,700 full-time jobs, according to the Leafly analysis, as of the beginning of 2020. Such jobs are increasing at a rate of 15 percent per year in the United States, the study said.

Once again, cannabidiol (CBD) has found itself in a gray area, although this time it’s not due to its legality. Proprietors of CBD retail shops and dispensaries throughout the Milwaukee area were surprised to find out on Wednesday, March 31, they were considered “nonessential” businesses under the State of Wisconsin’s “Safer at Home” order.

Throughout history, cannabis was regulated by federal law on reservations, so it was generally illegal. But after the 2013 Cole Memo, the topic of cannabis on tribal land and how it ties into the tribe’s government autonomy became increasingly prevalent.