Rep. Considine: Statement on CBD analytical note

Baraboo – Recently the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center (WSIC), an intelligence program operated through Homeland Security and the state Department of Justice, issued an analytical note on the legality of CBD in Wisconsin. The note, which was published just a few days before the deadline for industrial hemp license applications, has caused a great deal of confusion and frustration among hemp growers and processors.

Rep. Dave Considine (D-Baraboo), a strong supporter of industrial hemp and the author of two bills on the topic, issued the following statement in reaction to the analytical note:

“This is a great example of why we need to be thoughtful and collaborative when we draft legislation that has serious impacts on people’s lives. My colleagues in the majority wrote bills to ‘legalize’ CBD oil and industrial hemp. While I supported the goals of those bills, especially the hemp bill, they had some loopholes that worried many of us in the minority. We pointed this out and suggested alternatives to try and prevent something like this from happening. Republicans chose not to take those suggestions, did a victory lap knowing their legislation was seriously flawed, and here we are.

“As a farmer and steward of my own land in Baraboo, I’m particularly frustrated with how this affects the farmers and processors who have applied for the industrial hemp program. Hundreds of people have already invested their hard-earned money and time into the hemp industry. They’ve been pushing for industrial hemp in Wisconsin for years. Now, DOJ has blindsided them.

“DOJ needs to clarify immediately what this analytical note means for farmers and their families. We need to do our jobs right the first time, not count on fixing legislation later on. When we celebrate before we’ve earned the right to it, our constituents all suffer.”