Here in Wisconsin, we are part of a shrinking handful of states that have resisted any form of meaningful cannabis reform. That’s why the recent news from Madison, reported on September 29, 2025, is so significant: key Republican lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, have finally introduced a bill to create a limited medical cannabis program in our state.
For years, cannabis reform has felt like a non-starter. This bill represents the most significant shift in that conversation to date. At Ethereal Gold Dispensary, we see this as a long-overdue, though deeply flawed, step in the right direction.
What's in the Bill? The Key Details
This is not a sweeping legalization bill. It is, as Speaker Vos has described it, one of the most restrictive medical cannabis proposals in the country. Here are the crucial points:
- State-Run Dispensaries: The bill proposes the creation of five state-run dispensaries, managed by the Department of Health Services. Private businesses, like Ethereal Gold Dispensary, would be excluded from participating.
- No Smokable Cannabis: In a major departure from most medical programs, the bill explicitly bans smokable cannabis flower. Patients would be limited to oils, tinctures, edibles, and other non-inhalable forms.
- Limited Qualifying Conditions: The program would be accessible only to patients with specific, severe medical conditions. The initial list includes cancer, seizures, and multiple sclerosis, among others.
- Doctor-Patient Relationship: A physician would need to have an established relationship with a patient before they could recommend cannabis.
Our Viewpoint: A Step on a Much Longer Journey
Let us be clear: Ethereal Gold Dispensary supports any progress that provides patients with safe, legal access to cannabis. This bill is a monumental crack in the wall of prohibition that has stood for too long in Wisconsin. For that, it should be acknowledged as a positive development.
However, we cannot and should not pretend this bill is a comprehensive solution. It is a highly restrictive, government-controlled system that leaves many behind.
- The Problem with State-Run Stores: Creating a state-run monopoly shuts out the vibrant ecosystem of existing, responsible Wisconsin businesses in the hemp industry. Companies like ours have years of experience in safely sourcing, testing, and providing cannabis products to adults. We are ready and able to serve patients with the highest standards of quality and care.
- Banning Smokable Flower is a Mistake: For many patients dealing with acute pain or nausea, the rapid onset of inhaled cannabis is essential for immediate relief. Banning the most traditional and often most affordable form of cannabis does a disservice to the very patients this bill is meant to help.
- The List is Too Short: Limiting qualifying conditions so severely means countless Wisconsinites suffering from chronic pain, PTSD, anxiety, and other debilitating conditions would be left with no legal access or recourse.
This bill is a start, but it’s a timid one. It’s progress, but it’s incremental.
The Path Forward: What This Bill Overlooks
While this bill focuses on creating a new, isolated marijuana market, it completely ignores the thriving, federally legal hemp-derived cannabis market that already exists in Wisconsin. For years, companies like Ethereal Gold Dispensary have been providing safe, lab-tested Delta-9 THC products to adults under the full protection of the 2018 Farm Bill.
Any serious conversation about cannabis in Wisconsin must include the existing hemp industry. A truly effective state program would integrate our expertise and create a unified regulatory framework for all forms of legal cannabis, ensuring universal standards for safety, testing, and labeling. Our commitment to full-panel lab testing is a standard we believe should apply to every cannabis product sold in the state, whether it comes from this new program or the existing hemp market.
We Will Continue to Serve and Advocate
Ethereal Gold Dispensary will continue to do what we have always done: provide every adult in Wisconsin with access to the highest quality, most rigorously tested, federally legal cannabis products on the market. We are your source for safe and compliant cannabis today.
We are hopeful that this bill will open the door for more expansive and sensible reform in the future. We will continue to advocate for a cannabis market in Wisconsin that is open, inclusive, and, above all, safe for every consumer. We invite you to stay informed with us as we follow this legislation and continue to champion the cause of safe, legal cannabis for all.
FAQ
If this bill passes, will Ethereal Gold Dispensary become a medical dispensary?
No. As the bill is currently written, only five state-operated dispensaries would be allowed. Ethereal Gold would continue to operate as a federally legal, hemp-derived cannabis dispensary.
What's the difference between the medical products in this bill and what Ethereal Gold sells now?
The core active compound, Delta-9 THC, is the same. The primary legal difference is the source plant's classification. The products in this bill would be derived from "marijuana" (>0.3% THC) and sold only to qualifying patients. Our products are derived from "hemp" (<0.3% THC) and are legal for all adults 21+ under federal law.
Why would the state ban smokable cannabis in a medical program?
This is likely a political compromise aimed at making the bill more palatable to lawmakers who are hesitant about broader legalization. However, it ignores the therapeutic needs of many patients.
Will I be able to get a medical card for chronic pain under this bill?
Based on the initial descriptions, it is unclear if "chronic pain" on its own would be a qualifying condition. The list is said to be focused on a narrower set of severe illnesses.
What is Ethereal Gold Dispensary's overall hope for this bill?
We hope it has a deep discussion as a first step, and that it is quickly amended in future legislative sessions to be more inclusive of patients, product types, and the existing responsible businesses already operating in Wisconsin.
