Have you noticed a certain skunky aroma wafting through Madison more frequently these days? Maybe you’ve stumbled into one of the city’s rapidly multiplying weed-friendly establishments or — as my 70-year-old mother did — bought a beverage from your local bottle shop only to realize, too late, that it contains THC.
Yes, cannabis is in the air, both literally and figuratively. In May, a study conducted by the nonprofit Society for the Study of Addiction revealed that weed has surpassed alcohol as the daily drug of choice for Americans. Everyone from teachers to politicians to grandparents seems to be lighting up, making certain parts of our city — and, indeed, the entire country — smell like the parking lot at a Phish concert.
But while Madison decriminalized the possession and use of small amounts of cannabis and its derivatives in 2020, the rest of the state hasn’t followed suit. As of publication, Wisconsin remains just one of 12 states — and the only one in the upper Midwest — without a legal cannabis program, rendering it an island of prohibition.