Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel says the medical community should decide whether marijuana is suitable medicine, not state lawmakers.

Democratic legislators have proposed legalizing medical marijuana after Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he's open to the idea. But the effort faces long odds given opposition from Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Gov. Scott Walker.

Schimel told reporters in St. Paul, Minnesota Monday that he doesn't think that decision should be made by lawmakers. He says that power should rest with the Food and Drug Administration and medical organizations which haven't recognized the drug as medicine.

Schimel says marijuana is a gateway drug that can frequently lead to more dangerous drug abuse.

Wisconsin Democrats have also called for a non-binding referendum to measure support for legalization.