Under the bill, if a person manufactures, possesses, distributes, delivers, or uses medical marijuana in a way that is not in compliance with the requirements of the medical marijuana program, he or she can be referred by the Medical Marijuana Regulatory Commission for criminal prosecution under the controlled substances act or a local law that prohibits the possession, manufacture, distribution, or delivery of marijuana.

Prescription drug monitoring program

Current law requires the Controlled Substances Board to establish a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) that requires pharmacies and health care practitioners to generate records documenting the dispensing of monitored prescription drugs. Records from the PDMP may be disclosed to persons specified under current law or by the board by rule.

This bill also requires records to be generated for the PDMP documenting recommendations for medical marijuana and the issuance of registry identification cards for medical marijuana.

Fair employment law

Under the current fair employment law, an employer may not refuse to hire or employ, bar or terminate from employment, or discriminate against any individual in promotion or compensation or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because the individual has a disability. Such discrimination against an individual with a disability includes refusing to reasonably accommodate an employee's or prospective employee's disability unless the employer can demonstrate that the accommodation would pose a hardship on the employer's program, enterprise, or business. Also under the fair employment law, an employer may not refuse to hire or employ, bar or terminate from employment, or discriminate against any individual in promotion or compensation or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of the individual's use or nonuse of lawful products off the employer's premises during nonworking hours.

DWD enforces the fair employment law and may receive and investigate complaints charging discrimination or discriminatory practices and may, if an employer is found to have engaged in discrimination, order such action by the respondent as will effectuate the purpose of the fair employment law, including awarding back pay. Decisions of DWD hearing examiners made under the fair employment law are subject to further review by the Labor and Industry Review Commission and a court.

The bill provides that the fair employment law does not apply to any act of an employer based on an individual's use of medical marijuana.

Unemployment insurance; worker's compensation

Currently, an individual whose work is terminated by an employer for misconduct by the employee connected with the employee's work is ineligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits until the individual satisfies certain conditions. In addition, the wages paid to the individual by that employer are excluded from the employee's base period wages for purposes of calculating the individual's entitlement to UI benefits. “Misconduct,” for purposes of these provisions, is defined specifically as including a violation by an employee of an employer's reasonable written policy concerning the use of a controlled substance if the employee 1) had knowledge of the policy; and 2) admitted to the use of a controlled substance or refused to take a test or tested positive for the use of a controlled substance in a test used by the employer in accordance with a testing methodology approved by DWD.

Also under current law, an employer is not liable for temporary disability benefits under the worker's compensation law during an employee's healing period if the employee is suspended or terminated for misconduct as defined above.

The bill retains these provisions regarding misconduct and further provides that such a reasonable written policy may include a drug-free workplace policy.

Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB683,1 Section 1. 15.435 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB683,6,2 15.435 (title) Same; attached boards and commissions.

SB683,2 Section 2. 15.435 (2) of the statutes is created to read:

SB683,6,7 15.435 (2) Medical marijuana regulatory commission. (a) Creation; membership. No later than 30 days after the effective date of this subsection .... [LRB inserts date], there is created a medical marijuana regulatory commission attached to the department of revenue under s. 15.03, consisting of the following members:

SB683,6,8 1. One member appointed by the governor.

SB683,6,9 2. One member appointed by the senate majority leader.

SB683,6,10 3. One member appointed by the speaker of the assembly.

SB683,6,11 4. One member appointed by the senate minority leader.

SB683,6,12 5. One member appointed by the assembly minority leader.

SB683,6,15 (b) Chairperson. The governor shall designate one of the appointees under par. (a) to serve as chairperson for a 2-year term. The chairperson is responsible for the commission's daily operations and administrative oversight.

SB683,6,17 (c) Assistance. The commission may request of any state agency such assistance as may be necessary for the commission to fulfill its duties.

SB683,6,19 (d) Licenses. The commission shall begin issuing licenses under s. 73.17 no sooner than 180 days after the creation of the commission.