Senate approves cannabis-oil bill

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The state Senate approved a bill that would legalize the possession of cannabis oil, a derivative of marijuana used to treat children who suffer from seizures.

The Senate’s 31-1 vote Wednesday sends the bill to the Assembly. State Sen Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, was the only who voted in opposition to Senate Bill 10.

Members of the state Senate’s Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety had approved the bill last week on a 4-0 vote. Stroebel was excused from that vote.

If the Assembly approves the bill and Gov. Scott Walker signs it, SB 10 would change state law to allow people to possess cannabis oil as long as they have a certification showing the substance is being used to treat a medical condition. The certification must also be current and have been issued in the last year.

However, federal law prohibits the possession of marijuana for any reason.

State Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, introduced Wednesday a substitute amendment that would have made it legal to produce cannabis oil in Wisconsin and created a licensing system for companies that choose to produce it.

Larson said on the floor Wednesday that SB 10 does not go far enough because it does not allow cannabis oil to be sold in the state.

The Senate voted 19-13 to table the amendment. State Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, made the motion. Wanggard is also an author of SB 10.

He said that the bill’s purpose was to prevent parents from being arrested in the middle as a result of the state’s statute prohibiting the possession of marijuana.