Shawna Riley (D) Assembly District 56 Candidate Questionnaire Answers

Full Name

Shawna Riley

Date

8/10

riley56forassembly@gmail.com

Phone Number

9205383475

Office Sought:

Assembly 56

Do you currently or have you previously held public office?

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 support legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults 21 and older. I would support legislation such as SB 1045 and comprehensive legalization proposals like SB 486 that regulate the industry, create tax revenue, provide access to medical cannabis, and expunge low-level marijuana convictions. I also support AB 547/SB 534 to establish a regulated medical cannabis program for Wisconsin patients. Cannabis revenue should be invested in public schools, rural health care, mental health and addiction treatment, and local communities.

Do you think individual states should keep their laws in line with federal laws regarding the legalization of cannabis?

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?

Yes

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?

Yes

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?

Yes

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?

I actually think 10% is a defensible answer for HDCs. It’s close to West Virginia’s 11%, while leaving the market viable for Wisconsin farmers and small businesses. I support a 10% excise tax above the cost of administering the regulatory program. The revenue should be directed toward public education, mental health and addiction treatment, rural health care, and substance-use prevention, with a portion supporting Wisconsin farmers and local communities

Do you think cannabis should be classified as a Schedule 1 drug?

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

Is there anything that we have missed or that you would like more information on, please do not hesitate to ask. If you are interested in speaking with a stakeholder in the industry or participating in any election coverage events such as farm or production tours, webinars, zoom town halls or if you are willing to host a hemp cannabis specific event in your district, please provide additional information below:

I would love a farm or production tour