City Council Majority Backs Allowing Public Marijuana Use In Wisconsin State Capital

Local lawmakers in Madison, Wisconsin are proposing an expanded marijuana decriminalization ordinance that would allow adults to possess and consume cannabis in private and public settings, with certain restrictions.

The municipal measure would not change overarching state prohibition laws but would make it so that the police department wouldn’t refer certain cases for prosecution.

The proposal would build on the capital city’s existing decriminalization policy, which was first enacted in 1977. While that ordinance covers possession of up to 112 grams of cannabis in a private area, the new measure would expand it so that people 18 and older could possess about an ounce of marijuana in public without fear of prosecution as well, as long as they have the permission of the area’s manager such as landlord or business owner.