Hemp THC cafes thrive in Wisconsin as lawmakers debate marijuana legalization

While Wisconsin lawmakers drag their feet on legalizing medical cannabis, a new wave of entrepreneurs is building businesses around hemp-derived THC products.

Canna Bloom Farmacy in Milwaukee is one prominent example of the cafes, bars and other businesses serving hemp-derived THC products, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Canna Bloom’s hybrid bar, retail and social space is one of several spaces centered around hemp-derived THC that have opened in the Milwaukee area in the past few years.

The emergence of hemp-derived THC businesses is happening amid legislative pushes in Madison to legalize medical cannabis – and to restrict hemp-derived THC.

On Oct. 22, dozens of people testified at the state Capitol in support of a bill to legalize medical marijuana.

Wisconsin remains the only state in the Great Lakes Region without legal regulated cannabis access.

The Republican-sponsored bill would “tightly regulation the cultivation processing, testing and dispensing of medical cannabis to ensure patients have legal, safe and reliable access to a consistent product without breaking the law to obtain it,” according to a September co-sponsorship memo.

The bill would authorize the creation of an Office of Medical Cannabis to manage the patient and caregiver registry and dispensaries.

The legislation proposes implementing a seed-to-sale database and an inventory tracking system. It also includes a ban on dispensaries advertising to the general public.

In the meantime, another bill in Madison would effectively ban psychoactive hemp-derived THC – such as the products sold in Milwaukee in a fashion similar to regulated cannabis in other states.

Merchants and producers of hemp-derived products are pushing instead for regulation.