City Times Staff

MADISON — In an announcement made on Saturday, the Wisconsin Department of Justice has informed the public that medicinal oil derived from marijuana, including hemp, remains illegal; sparking outrage in many Wisconsin hemp farmers.

Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) has been an outspoken supporter of hemp oil in legal use, and released the following statement in response to the Analytical Note prepared by the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center on the legality of CBD oil in Wisconsin.

“My colleagues and I worked to reintroduce the hemp crop to Wisconsin to give our farmers the opportunity to grow and process this utilitarian plant into any number of products, including CBD oil. I’m disappointed that the Department of Justice has chosen the interpretation that they have and that they chose to release this information at the end of the hemp license application process. These actions have the potential to damage farmers, curb investment in our state, and hurt people who are using a non-psychoactive product to treat pain and illness. While our state faces an opioid crisis, we should be looking to embrace alternatives – not shutting them down with bureaucracy. I’ve reached out to Attorney General Schimel, and I hope we can work together so that Wisconsinites can have access to all of the opportunities that we intend the hemp pilot program to bring.”