MADISON, Wis. (NEWSnet/AP) — After years of opposition to any marijuana legalization in Wisconsin, Republican lawmakers are working to build support for a medical cannabis option.

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos declined to name the lawmakers; but said the discussions are taking place among the Assembly Republicans and he hopes to introduce the plan this fall. Republicans control both the Assembly and Senate in the statehouse.

Wisconsin remains an outlier nationally, with medical marijuana legal in 38 states and recreational marijuana legal in 21. The push for legalization in Wisconsin has gained interest because neighboring Illinois and Michigan allow recreational use while Minnesota and Iowa have legalized medical use.

Vos's announcement that Republicans have been working on a deal he hopes can pass the Legislature comes on April 20, or “420 Day,” a date that marijuana supporters have adopted as a cannabis celebration day.

In the meantime, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers are among those fighting for full legalization of marijuana.

Sixty-four percent of Wisconsinites support legalizing marijuana for any use, according to October polling by the Marquette University Law School; and a 2019 poll showed that more than 80% of Wisconsinites supported the idea of a medical marijuana program.

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