SENATOR GONE ROGUE: State Sen. Melissa Agard to Discuss Cannabis Legislation in E.C.
senator will chat with the Rogue Shop owner on May 25
Cannabis legalization has been a contentious topic across the nation, particularly in recent years, and these conversations are being brought to our backyard. Wisconsin State Sen. Melissa Agard of Madison will be stopping by Rogue Shop (2537 E Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire) on Thursday, May 25, to discuss legalization efforts with the shop’s owner, Sharmaine Zamora.
“I'm looking at this as an opportunity for regular people to have their voices heard,” Zamora said. “As we watch other states come online, we see a lot of errors being made, so having lawmakers talk to the stores who are already in cannabis will help them make better legislation than in the past.”
Just last week, Minnesota lawmakers approved a bill that legalizes marijuana use for adults, making the state the 23rd to do so. While some hemp-derived products, such as CBD, are legal in Wisconsin, the state remains one of only a handful where neither recreational nor medical pot is legal.
Zamora plans to discuss a variety of factors and topics with the Agard, adding that others are welcome to stop by the shop or reach out to Rogue with questions folks would like brought up.
Topics already planned include: what rules that have been enforced in other states and why those are successful or not, de-stigmatization of hemp plants and insuring proper education, safety regulations put in place to protect children, labeling requirements and taxes, and speaking on behalf of the several other small businesses that sell CBD in the area.
“These stores have been here several years and served the community faithfully,” Zamora explained. “We don't want to see financial requirements come in that will put all of these long-standing small businesses out of business, only to allow for some mega store to come in and start a dispensary that does not care about our community.”
Agard, the Democratic minority leader of the state Senate, will visit Rogue Shop from 2:30-3:30pm. She will also hold a public town hall meeting at 4:30pm in the Riverview Room at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library if other residents wish to discuss the issue with her. In recent weeks, Agard has been traveling the state on what she has dubbed her Grass Routes Tour to discuss cannabis policy.
Learn more about Rogue Shop (2537 E Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire) at rogueshop.com.