Last verified: May 2026
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (Leaving 2026)
Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester, Speaker since 2013) has been the principal Republican obstacle to cannabis-policy reform in Wisconsin for over a decade. Notable positions:
- December 2023: called cannabis a "dangerous drug."
- 2024: preferred state-run dispensaries (Rep. Plumer’s January 2024 bill).
- 2025-2026: SB 534 (Felzkowski medical bill) "way too broad and way too wide-ranging."
Vos is leaving the legislature after the 2026 election. His departure removes one of the principal Republican obstacles to reform.
Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (Leaving 2026)
Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg, Senate Majority Leader 2021-present) opposed state-run dispensaries: "nonstarter" framing in 2024 deliberations on the Plumer Republican medical bill. LeMahieu has been less openly hostile to cannabis than Vos but consistently supported the Joint Finance Committee removal of cannabis provisions from Evers’s budgets.
Senate President Mary Felzkowski (Leaving Senate Presidency 2026)
Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk, Senate President 2025-2026, cancer survivor) is the Senate’s leading medical-cannabis advocate. Felzkowski:
- Cancer survivor; medical cannabis is personal.
- Lead sponsor of SB 534 (introduced September 29, 2025) with Sen. Patrick Testin and Rep. Patrick Snyder.
- Northwoods (Tomahawk, Lincoln County) home base aligns with Rep. Tom Tiffany’s 2026 R gubernatorial frontrunner geography.
- SB 534 advanced Senate Health 4-1 October 22, 2025; no Senate floor vote as of May 2026.
- Leaving Senate presidency in January 2027.
Senate Majority Leader Tyler August
Sen. Tyler August (R-Walworth) became Senate Majority Leader in February 2025 (taking over from LeMahieu’s majority-leader role). August’s February 2025 statement: "we need to come to an answer on this. I’m hopeful that we can." The framing reflects intra-GOP recognition that the cannabis-policy stalemate is unsustainable.
Joint Finance Committee Co-Chairs Marklein + Born
JFC co-chairs Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) and Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) led each Evers-budget cannabis-stripping action. Most recent: May 8, 2025 12-4 vote stripping the 2025-2027 budget’s cannabis package. The JFC role makes Marklein and Born consistent veto-points on cannabis-policy reform.
Senate Health Committee Chair Cabral-Guevara
Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton, Senate Health Committee Chair, nurse practitioner) held the SB 534 hearing on October 22, 2025. The committee advanced SB 534 on a 4-1 vote. Cabral-Guevara’s health-care professional credentials and committee chairmanship make her a meaningful Republican-side cannabis-policy ally.
Why the GOP Has Refused
Multiple factors:
- Ideological opposition — Vos in December 2023 called cannabis "dangerous drug."
- Tavern League / beer-industry lobbying — Sen. Larson: legislators "too beholden to their buddies in the Tavern League."
- Intra-GOP splits — Vos preferred state-run dispensaries; Felzkowski and LeMahieu opposed them.
- Chokepoints — Senate Health Committee under Cabral-Guevara, Assembly floor scheduling under Vos.
The 2026 Departures
Vos, LeMahieu, and Felzkowski are all leaving the legislature or executive branch in January 2027. The 2026 session offers the most realistic chance at medical legalization in a decade. Full adult-use likely waits on a Democratic trifecta and the 2027 session at earliest.
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