Board adopts Supervisor Moore Omokunde proposal to decriminalize marijuana | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sup. Supreme Moore Omokunde
November 6, 2018
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors adopted (17 – 1) a resolution sponsored by Supervisor Supreme Moore Omokunde encouraging the State of Wisconsin to decriminalize marijuana at their meeting on November 1.
“There is a burgeoning industry that will potentially make its way to the state of Wisconsin. If this happens it would be criminal to allow those with previous convictions to continue to languish in our prisons and suffer the ills of retaining years old misdemeanor and felony records. We have to decide that we will not only invest in economic capital, but our people capital as well,” said Moore Omokunde.
Supervisor Moore Omokunde’s resolution was co-sponsored by 10 supervisors.
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Although the state of Wisconsin is the number one incarcerator of Black men in the country, and many of those are from the 10th District, Moore Omokunde stressed during debate on the issue decriminalization is not strictly about ethnicity.
“We have to ensure that we are doing right by all in our community and balancing the fiscal desires of the state and the moral responsibility to all we serve,” added Moore Omokunde.
Supervisor Moore Omokunde encouraged state legislators to pair any bills legalizing marijuana with retroactive decriminalization for marijuana related convictions. Moore Omokunde says that decriminalization could come in the form of the expungement of court records and release from incarceration where appropriate.
The resolution will be sent to members of the Wisconsin State Legislature.