Letter to the Editor: Cannabis Referenda in Sturgeon Bay

On April 2nd, will also be a non-binding referendum to gauge Sturgeon Bay’s opinion regarding the issue of cannabis.

This past November, a majority of Wisconsin residents cast votes regarding medical and/or recreational use. In Sturgeon Bay, our ballot is purely advisory. There are two questions. The first asks our opinion about legalizing medicinal cannabis. The second asks about legalizing recreational cannabis for individuals over 21yrs of age.

33 states have legalized the use medicinal cannabis. Researchers have been provided a mountain of peer reviewed studies provided by prominent medical organizations; research back by thousands of individual case histories. Science has shown that cannabis presents relief for individuals suffering from a long list illnesses. It’s an option my mother is seriously considering. Opioids just can’t be our only answer.

The legalization route will be a positive departure from its current legal status. 128 million Americans have used cannabis and polls consistently show that 2/3 of the country want cannabis laws changed. This route will bring about regulation, testing for safety, lawful transportation, decrease in its consumption by minors, collection of taxes & the creation of a significant number of jobs. Legalization would have an immediate effect on our criminal justice system. It would flatten the black market & reduce the financial gains of criminal cartels. It will help law enforcement focus its attention on much more important criminal activity. Racial disparities in enforcement would all but cease to exist.

In the end adults should have the right to decide what goes in their bodies. There is an overwhelming pile of evidence that challenges widely held assumptions. It is no longer a question of “if or when”, it’s a question of how.

Will Gregory

Sturgeon Bay, Wis.