(WTAQ-WLUK) — Data recently released shows Wisconsinites are spending green across the Illinois border for something green.
Wisconsinites purchased more than $121 million worth of marijuana from legal retailers in Illinois in 2022, a report says.
These Wisconsinites also contributed about $36.1 million in tax revenue to Illinois, according to data from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).
Sales for recreational consumption and possession of marijuana became legal in Illinois on Jan. 1, 2020.
Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard (D) says the state is out of touch with what Wisconsinites want.
“Wisconsin’s out-dated marijuana laws are costing us so much more than $36 million – lives are being disrupted – but this is so upsetting to see Wisconsinites hard-earned tax dollars go to Illinois because WI GOP refuses to listen to the will of the people,” Agard wrote. “It should upset every Wisconsinite that our hard-earned tax dollars are going across the border to Illinois. This is revenue that could be going toward Wisconsin’s public schools, transportation infrastructure, and public safety.”
The $36.1 million estimate could be lower or higher due to several variables, the report says.
According to a Marquette Law School poll last fall, 64% of Wisconsinites support legalizing marijuana for any use, while more than 80% of Wisconsinites supported medical marijuana use only in a 2019 poll.
Gov. Tony Evers has been vocal about his intentions to fully legalizing marijuana, but state Republicans continue to shoot that down. Republicans say they are, however, moving closer to supporting the legalization of medical marijuana.
Wisconsin is currently an island for marijuana legalization. Minnesota and Iowa both allow legal medical marijuana use, while Illinois and Michigan allow both medical and recreational use.
