Bice: Wisconsin Democratic governor candidates make blunt appeal to marijuana advocates

Looking for votes wherever they can, candidates in the crowded Democratic field for governor are trying to smoke out a new group of support:

The cannabis crowd.

On Feb. 20, Democratic candidates Matt Flynn and Mike McCabe spoke for a half-hour each at a meeting of the Southeastern Wisconsin NORML, short for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Flynn told the group that, if elected governor, he would "pardon everybody in the jails and the prisons of Wisconsin who are there for nonviolent possession offenses." His campaign later clarified that the former state Democratic Party chairman was referring only to pot-related convictions.

McCabe, the former chief of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, gave an even stronger pitch, telling the crowd at the Riverwest Public House Cooperative in Milwaukee that he favored "full legalization of marijuana in our time" in Wisconsin.

Eric Marsch, executive director of the pro-cannabis group, said it brought in McCabe and Flynn for the — ahem — joint appearance for a reason.

"They are the two candidates who have been making a point to engage with us and champion the issue of cannabis legalization," Marsch said.

But they aren't the only Democratic gubernatorial candidates with position papers on pot.

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Firefighter union chief Mahlon Mitchell and state Rep. Dana Wachs are all in, backing measures to overturn the state law that bars people from selling or smoking weed in Wisconsin. Milwaukee businessman Andy Gronik and state schools Superintendent Tony Evers said they would sign legislation permitting recreational use but only if voters favor it in a referendum.

And state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout is lead sponsor of a bill to legalize industrial hemp production in Wisconsin. Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, a spokeswoman said, is supportive of allowing the sale of marijuana in Wisconsin if it's done "carefully" and systematically.

Marsch said his group is planning to have a forum, focused on legalization, that will be open to all gubernatorial candidates. Invitees will include Republican Gov. Scott Walker out of "completeness and fairness," Marsch said. An endorsement is planned around May or June.

This newfound interest in the subject should not be surprising.

A Marquette University Law School Poll found 59% of registered Wisconsin voters agreed in 2016 that marijuana “should be fully legalized and regulated like alcohol.” Only 39% disagreed.

Nationally, recreational use of marijuana is now legal in nine states plus Washington, D.C., and more than half the states permit use of pot for at least some purpose

But Wisconsin lawmakers and candidates have been loath to legalize marijuana. In fact, the state has some of the strictest laws against lighting up.

In 2014, a third-party candidate for Wisconsin governor tried unsuccessfully to woo votes with his "Get Blazed" commercials touting legalization.

Stalled right now at the statehouse are bills to reduce the penalties for minor marijuana possession, establish a medical marijuana program and regulate the use and sale of the drug.

Walker is opposed to any such legislation.

Two cities — Madison and Monona — have passed ordinances permitting marijuana possession in certain quantities and for certain ages, though state law trumps those municipal measures. Milwaukee has reduced the penalty for anyone possessing up to 25 grams of pot.

Flynn's campaign and McCabe initially had little to say about their talks to Southeastern Wisconsin NORML, simply pointing to their issue pages on their campaign websites.

Those papers show the two Democrats favor full legalization. Unlike McCabe, Flynn says he would support such a measure only after the voters back it in a public referendum.

Both say they want to make some money for the state by taxing and regulating the cannabis industry once the drug is legalized.

In a one-minute video shot after the "Grow the Vote" town hall, Flynn said the issue was one of personal freedom.

"If people have access to cannabis in Colorado and California, this is America — there is no reason to exempt Wisconsin," said Flynn, who at 70 is the second-oldest candidate in the Democratic field.

As for plans to pardon inmates convicted of nonviolent, marijuana-related possession crimes, Flynn said it is unacceptable that the state spends more on its prisons than it does on the University of Wisconsin.

As of Dec. 30, there were a mere 12 state inmates who had only one or more marijuana possession offenses and who had been admitted for a new sentence, according to Tristan Cook, spokesman for the Department of Corrections.

Additionally, Cook said, the state had 243 inmates with pot-related convictions and some other offense as of Dec. 30. These numbers do not include inmates sent to jail or placed on probation.

Part of McCabe's presentation to NORML was aired live on his campaign's Facebook feed. There, he argued for the economic benefit of cannabis and hemp production by small outfits, something that he said could "revitalize small-scale agriculture" in Wisconsin.

McCabe said drugs law are ineffective, counterproductive and racially discriminatory. "Large amounts (of marijuana) are being sold and used in Wisconsin, but in a black market with the heavy involvement of gangs and other organized crime," he said.

Legalizing marijuana, he said, would make communities safer and reduce the prison population.

The two seemed to hit all the major talking points, but there was one question that doesn't appear to have come up: Do Flynn and McCabe personally like to burn one every once in a while?

Flynn said he has never done a doobie.

McCabe said he did try weed in college but wasn't a fan.

"Not my cup of tea," said the 57-year-old politician.

Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 224-2135 or dbice@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.