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Dear Editor;
As a father and grandfather, I am very upset by the news that Governor Evers is advocating for the legalization of marijuana in the upcoming Wisconsin Budget. However, this does not surprise me as Democrats are promoting this at the federal level also.
These politicians seem to forget that for years they condemned the tobacco industry for ruining our health and driving up insurance costs, and enticing young people into making an unhealthy, addictive lifestyle choices. Having learned nothing from those experiences, these same lawmakers want to legalize something that can be far more harmful.
Money- minded pro-marijuana backers feel that Wisconsin is losing out on tax benefits because we do not have legal recreational marijuana. But this is simply not true. The Colorado Christian University's Centennial Institute states that "$4.57 is spent to mitigate marijuana's effects for every $1.00 it generates".
I reached out to my State Senator, Howard Marklein, on this issue since he helps write the Wisconsin Budget as the Chair of the Joint Finance Committee. Thankfully, he stands firmly against the legalization of marijuana in Wisconsin. For the future of our kids and grandkids, we cannot let legalization happen in our State. In fact, we should be doing more to curb its use.
If Evers were to be totally honest, I'm sure he would not want his grandchildren to use marijuana even if it is legal.
Mike Breuer
Glen Haven, WI