Editor’s note:

Cannabis legalization might be a policy that many would assume is a negative for a state’s workforce, but our analysis of the limited available research paints a much more complex and positive picture. 

In this fourth installment in our “real facts” series, Jeremiah Mosteller lays out the available research. Some clear conclusions that can be made: 

Early research suggests that legalizing cannabis for adult use reduces unemployment and increases labor force participation. Allowing medical use appears to have a positive workforce impact for some sorts of people.  

Legalization seems to have no impact on the wages.  

And legalization is likely to result in a reduction in workers’ compensation claims, with no impact on disability insurance payouts. 

Wisconsin has, in state Sen. Rob Hutton, a mad-eyed optimist, for the Brookfield Republican imagines that this is the time, after decades of trying, that Wisconsin could repeal its minimum markup law.

He might be right.

It is a little puzzling that such a repeal hasn’t already happened. Atop whatever world events might do the price of oil, Wisconsin insists that gas stations add about 9% to the price of gas before daring to sell it. The law similarly demands markups on tobacco and booze. For everything else, from school supplies to that big-screen TV you got on Black Friday, retailers cannot, shall not, must not sell for below cost. It’s “deceptive” and “unfair,” says the law, to lure you in with incandescently hot specials only to come out even on everything else you’ll put in the cart.

Retailers can do that in perhaps 30 states, depending on how you count. Even here, maybe they can get away with it, since it’s enforced by the state mostly when competitors complain, and most complaints involve gas.

If you went out on the town to ring in the new year, perhaps you had a designated driver or called a ride and contributed to an encouraging trend: In Wisconsin, over the past few decades, the number of fatal car crashes due to alcohol-induced driving has decreased.

One of the possible reasons that the Badger Institute has examined is the creation of various ride share apps, such as Uber or Lyft. Whatever the cause, the fact is that the number of fatal traffic crashes in Wisconsin has fallen both in number and rate.

The Meg Ellefson Show | Dec. 28

Related: What research shows about marijuana legalization and rates of use

WSAU’s WI Morning News | Jan. 2

Related: Unshakable trust in each other defines a smaller Chaseburg

WSAU’s WI Morning News | Jan. 3

Related: Wisconsin ranks 14th in attempt to foretell social mobility

Forbes | Patrick Gleason | Jan. 4

Related: In Act 10 fight, unions don’t just want you to pay — they want power

“The throwing of millions MORE dollars at DEI on the Madison campus so some activists can feel good is a crime and takes monies away from so many other important campus needs.

“‘Madison, we have a problem’ and there are better ways to solve them.” — Doug Griese, UW Class of 1975

Comment submitted in response to Mike Nichols’ Viewpoint, The real world intrudes for a moment at UW-Madison.

The Badger Institute, formerly known as the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI), has long been at the forefront of the fight for school choice, right to work, welfare reform, tax restructuring, limited government, civil society and so much more. If you appreciate the Institute’s legacy and want to support free markets, opportunity and prosperity, please consider donating today. Your support will help the Institute continue to advocate for conservative principles now and in generations to come.

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