Milwaukee Residents Advocate at the 8th Annual Cannabis March

This year’s Cinco De Mayo celebration was a lot more than just Tequila and sombreros for the people of Milwaukee. Hundreds came together for the eighth annual Cannabis March in hopes to legalize marijuana in the entire state of Wisconsin.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws organized its annual everyone welcomed march that started at the MacArthur Square, leading into Downtown Milwaukee, and then ended at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

The route was open to anyone who wanted to tag along and agreed with the message that the organization was marching for.

“We typically get a lot of advocates who come out and march with us year after year and the support is very well appreciated,” Eric Marsch, the executive director of the Milwaukee-area NORML, said. “I can’t wait to get out there today while the weather is great and march for the cause.”

Marsch has always had a passion for his organization and the knowledge that they share when it comes to a topic that brings on so much controversy. Overall, he still wants people to see the benefits that come from cannabis.

“Fifty-nine percent of Wisconsinites support the legalization of cannabis,” he said. “States that have legalized medical cannabis in particular, see a 25 percent reduction in opiate overdose deaths.”

The usage of cannabis has always been looked at as a resource that can be issued as taxable, and that’s what some of the running candidates for Govenor explain. Democratic speakers who attended the event were given 60 seconds to defend their thoughts and lock down their final statements.

“We will create $200 million in new annual revenue and I’m going to use that to give students a head start,” said Mike Crute, Democrat.

Libertarian Phil Anderson, and Democrat Kelda Roys both agreed that the legalization of cannabis will not only help grow the economy and the small businesses, but the simplicity of obtaining it will also grow.

With hopes for new lawmakers in mind, shouting advocates made sure their voices were heard also.  They stood firm on their beliefs of letting Wisconsin join the near 40 other states that have allowed usage of cannabis legal for medical or recreational purposes, according to the NORML website.

I have moments when I spazz out of control and I feel like smoking is the only thing that calms me down. I battle anxiety, super high anxiety at that and when I start bouncing all over the place I put that THC in the air, and I’m good,” said Lanesha Stewart from Milwaukee.

Another Milwaukee resident Mike Broder, agrees that legalizing the drug would be better for the City of Milwaukee and would be less of a hassle when it came to the city’s law enforcement.

“I think it’ll be smart if it was legalized because marijuana is something that’s not hurting nobody, it’s something that’s damn near helping people from doing crazy sh*t,” he said. “The police always suspect drug dealing activity anyway, so if weed became legal everybody doesn’t have to be all scared about getting locked up, the damn dispensary a have to go to jail if that’s the case.”

Once the march came to a halt, the committee planned an after party at the bar Studio 200, where everyone who attended can mingle with other participants and discuss everything that happened earlier in the day.

 

Wolfgang, who was bartending the after-party event, gave an outlook on the event that he was marching in earlier in the day.

“Marching for such a great cause today was a great feeling, I really hope they do something and have this law active because it needs to be done pronto,” he said. “Wisconsin is lacking because if all these states issued the law and passed it, we should have been a part of them states already for sure.”

That time maybe coming soon, according to event coordinator Marsch, as the laws could change as soon as 2019 depending on the legislature’s upcoming decisions. Until that time comes The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws committee will always be pro for their beliefs and organizing multiple other events to raise the awareness for the cause.