Merlin Van Buren (D) Assembly 34 Candidate Questionnaire Answers
Full Name
Merlin Van Buren
Date
06/09/2026
merlinforthe34th@gmail.com
Phone Number
715-369-3960
Office Sought:
State Assembly 34th District
Do you currently or have you previously held public office?
Rhinelander School Board
Is there any cannabis related legislation you have sponsored, co-sponsored, or publicly supported? Would you like to provide a brief statement about your stance on cannabis reform?
I would vote to legalize cannabis in Wisconsin
Do you think individual states should keep their laws in line with federal laws regarding the legalization of cannabis?
No
Do you support ending federal prohibition of cannabis?
Yes
Do you support regulating the HDC (hemp derived cannabinoid) market created under the Industrial Hemp Program / Federal Farm Bill?
Unsure – I Have Questions
If answered YES to the above question about regulating HDC’s, would you support the 2025-26 legislation Senate Bill 682 and Asseembly Bill 747, commonly known as the Testin/Kurtz HDC Reg Bill?
Unsure – I Have Questions
Do you support legalizing and regulating the responsible use of cannabis by adults in the state of Wisconsin?
Yes
Would you support a two year moratorium implementing any excise tax to evaluate true administration/regulation costs before automatically attaching an exise tax to a regulation program?
Unsure – I Have Questions
If you support an excise tax above and beyond what is needed to administer a regulation program, what percentage of excise tax do you feel is appropriate? Where do you think excise tax should be spent?
Do you think cannabis should be classified as a Schedule 1 drug?
No
Do you support medical use of cannabis in the State of Wisconsin?
Yes
If you support medical use of cannabis, do you also support patient’s rights to cultivate their own medicine or assign caregivers to do it for them?
Yes
Do you support decriminalization of cannabis in the State of Wisconsin?
Yes
Do you support automatic expungement of non-violent cannabis possession convictions?
Yes
Would you (join, support or not support) The Wisconsin Cannabis Caucus
Support
