Wisconsin’s first medical cannabis law (AB 726) took effect in 2014, protecting an extremely narrow class of people. Otherwise known as a CBD-only bill, patients must be diagnosed with a seizure disorder to receive legal protection and may only possess forms of cannabis that do not produce psychoactive effects. 

On April 17, 2017, Gov. Scott Walker signed Act 4, which expands the state’s existing limited medical cannabis law, Lydia’s law, enacted in 2014. The original law allowed patients with documentation of a seizure disorder to possess CBD treatments, but it did not legalize the production of CBD products in the state. Act 4 expands the program to protect all patients who possess CBD and have a letter from their physician. Unfortunately, it remains illegal to produce or distribute CBD products. 

Patients

• Must have a letter from a physician
• May only possess forms of cannabis that do not produce a psychoactive effect

Physicians

• May provide official documentation to patients to authorize use and possession of CBD-only cannabis

Designated Caregivers

• No Legal Protection

Cultivators

• No Legal Protection

Dispensaries

• No Legal Protection

Law

Act 267 (2013) - Codified in 2014 through the amendment of W.S.A. §§ 961.14 and 961.34, and the creation of W.S.A. § 961.38(1n).

AB 726 (2014) - Creates a legal right for patients with seizure disorders to possess and use CBD-rich medicines if they have a written recommendation

Act 4 (2017) - Creates a legal right for patients with any medical condition, under a recommendation from their physician, to possess and use CBD-rich medicines