Northern Wisconsin Republican Congressman Sean Duffy is criticizing his two potential Democratic opponents for supporting the legalization of recreational marijuana in the United States.

Seventh Congressional District Democratic primary candidates Margaret Engebretson and Brian Ewert said they supported legalizing the drug in a WPR debate last week.

Duffy said marijuana could lead to harder drugs, when asked for his reaction to their statements in an interview Saturday at the Wisconsin Valley Fair in Wausau.

"I'm the father of eight kids and as a former prosecutor and now a congressman, I see what's happening in America with a drug epidemic, from opioids to meth to heroin. I think marijuana is a gateway drug to these other drugs," Duffy said

The four-term incumbent said marijuana use could also hurt the ability of users to get jobs.

"Marijuana shows up in a drug test. If you want to operate heavy equipment, or you want to drive a big rig, you've got to pass a drug test," Duffy said. "That's not public policy that comes from the Congress in D.C. or from Wisconsin. It's the insurance companies that say we're not going to insure you if you have employees that are doing these kind of drugs."

Jim Miller, chair of the state's 7th Congressional District Republican Party, also slammed Engebretson and Ewert in a written statement.

"Here is yet another example of how Margaret Engebretson and Brian Ewert are out of touch with Wisconsinites," Miller said. "If they spent less time trying to adopt far-left policies and more time speaking to our brave law enforcement officers or drug rehabilitation counselors, they would know that our communities are fighting hard to stem a drug epidemic that is hurting families and making it harder to hire safe and reliable workers."

In the debate Thursday, the Democratic candidates said they favored regulating marijuana like alcohol and tobacco.

Sign up for daily news! Stay informed with WPR's email newsletter.

"While there are some negative aspects to this, I believe that we should legalize marijuana both recreationally and medicinally," Engebretson said.

"We should legalize it because it is a waste of taxpayer dollars to be incarcerating people," Ewert said. "However we need to treat this like the other chemicals that we have legal, whether that be nicotine or alcohol. It needs to be used responsibly,"

Wisconsin's Economy

Duffy also painted a different picture of the economy in northern Wisconsin than the two Democrats.

"Because of (President Donald Trump’s) policies, the economy is exploding, and people are getting pay raises and opportunities for better jobs. Just three or four years ago, people felt like they were stuck in a job," Duffy said. "Today you go down the street, and you can probably get a better paycheck, maybe better benefits, and maybe a better boss."

In the WPR debate, Engebretson said the northern Wisconsin economy is suffering despite the low unemployment rate.

"The quality of a lot of the jobs, especially in the 7th Congressional District are such that they don't provide a living wage ... I know folks out there that have more than one job. They're barely making it," she said.

Ewert said Trump’s policies are hurting workers in the district.

"The people in northern Wisconsin are being left behind and that's why we need a representative in Congress who will be a balance of power with the presidency," he said.

Engebretson is a retired military veteran and Polk County attorney. Ewert is a physician and former CEO of the Marshfield Clinic. Duffy is the chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance. He faces on the winner of the Aug. 14 Democratic primary in the November general election.