Wisconsin Hemp Community Rally to Regulate and Legalize

The “Save Hemp Rally” was hosted by Erin Kelly at Kelly’s Greens Cannabis Boutique and Cafe in Wauwatosa on June 29. The rally brought together community members, hemp business owners and legislators to discuss and raise awareness of the incoming hemp ban, which will affect the hemp business in Wisconsin. 

Attendees of the rally and the Wisconsin Coalition for Cannabis Reform (WCCR) urged state lawmakers to act and protect the hemp business. 

The federal law banning most THC products nationwide was signed on November 12, 2025, by President Donald Trump. Under this law, hemp products are limited to 0.4 milligrams of THC per container, and anything higher than that is banned. Any hemp-derived cannabinoid product sold to a consumer for personal use is also banned. 

Erin Kelly: Organizer of the Rally

Erin Kelly, owner of Kelly’s Greens Cannabis Boutique and Cafe, said that due to the impending federal ban, the business was preparing to close its doors starting November 12, 2026. Recently, the ban got a 30-day delay, which means Kelly’s Greens will now be forced to close its doors on December 11, 2026.

This isn’t the two-year extension that hemp supporters were looking for, which would leave time for lawmakers to pass regulation bills when they return to work on January 4, 2027.

“We need our lawmakers to begin working together post-election – Red and Blue – to put a proactive, strategic plan together that would allow Wisconsin to execute an emergency executive order the day Wisconsin lawmakers return to work next year,” Kelly said in a post on Instagram.

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After a career in corporate America, Kelly had decided in 2020 it wasn’t for her anymore and went back to school before opening Kelly’s Greens in October 2023. 

Kelly warmed up the audience at the rally by jokingly asking, “In 1992, former American president Bill Clinton was asked if he had ever used marijuana. He famously answered, ‘ I didn’t inhale.’ True or false?” 

After the question, Kelly told the audience that several U.S. presidents have used cannabis products, notably Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Franklin Pierce. According to Kelly, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew massive amounts of hemp on their estates. They grew it for fiber and rope, but Kelly said that historians now suggest they utilized the medicinal qualities of the plant.   

“Even American presidents were smoking the dew. This isn’t new. These products aren’t going away. We have always lived in an environment where cannabis will be sold, and we never will live in a place without it,” Kelly said. “And so, it’s time to responsibly regulate this to protect the kids and these small businesses and the farmers growing the hemp right here. Did you know Wisconsin ranks number six in hemp production? This law will have a massive impact on our farmers who are already struggling.” 

Hemp Customer Testimony

A Kelly’s Greens customer named Abby was brought up to speak about her experience using hemp and the benefits it personally provides her.

Abby is an amputee, and she told the crowd she was hit by a drunk driver while on her motorcycle in 2022, which resulted in her foot being amputated. According to Abby, doctors told her the options for pain relief were opiates, which left her feeling awful.

“Luckily, I have a fantastic friend here who, while I was on bed rest for months, gave me an alternative in the form of gummies, which dramatically changed my life. I cannot express to you the type of relief that I get from Erin’s gummies. Please do not take these products away from us,” Abby said.

Wisconsin Hemp Business Impact

In Kelly’s speech at the rally, she said that the hemp business includes over 275 growers, provides 3,500 jobs and it is a $700 million industry in Wisconsin. 

“I’ve been making artisanal-crafted, scratch-made edibles in my house and personally using these products to love myself more,” Kelly said. “[People use hemp] to hate people less, to sleep well and to relieve pain and anxiety. That’s not a crime, and we’re not about to act like it is.” 

This closure is coming because the ban will outlaw all the hemp-derived garden beverages, gummies and cookies that Kelly’s Greens and other hemp businesses sell to customers. 

Local food businesses Cocina Filipina and Joy Ice-cream were present, as well as Kelly’s Greens Cannabis Boutique and Cafe, which was open outside of normal business hours. Apart from selling its normal offerings, Kelly’s Greens offered free lemonade (with or without THC infusion), cake and Lalli’s Pizza. 

Elected officials who participated by speaking at the event include Rep. Robyn Vining (Wisconsin Assembly District 10), Shawn Rolland (Milwaukee County 6th District Supervisor), Rep. Darrin B. Madison (Wisconsin Assembly District 10), Rep. Ryan Clancy (Wisconsin Assembly District 19) and Sen. Chris Larson (Wisconsin District 7). 

Quotes from the elected officials:

Robyn Vining 

• “We want to make sure that as we legalize and regulate hemp, that we make sure that the packaging doesn’t look like candy, because we want to protect kids.” 

• “I’m proud to be here. I, too, am a small business owner, so I understand what it’s like, and I want to make sure that as we legalize and regulate hemp, as we do, that we protect our small businesses.” 

• “Right now, hemp legal, not regulated, which means there’s no age minimum. So, when you hear Erin talk about the 21-year age minimum, that’s to protect kids.” 

Shawn Rolland 

• “I’m a Kelly’s Greens customer. It’s an honor for me to be here, but I have to say, it’s ridiculous that we are all here, right? Our government told people like Erin to follow the law, invest your money and create jobs. Then they changed the rules and pulled the rug out from under it. It’s unacceptable.” 

• “Today our federal government is a frustrating government, and it needs to stop betraying people like Erin who just want to do business here. This is a place of joy. If you’ve ever been here, this is a place that brings people together. We need more places like this.” 

• “This industry did not sneak into Wisconsin. It walked through the front door. It was legalized by Congress in 2018. Wisconsin farmers started planting it. Wisconsin entrepreneurs built their businesses around it. Wisconsin workers took their jobs in it.” 

• “You don’t create jobs and then criminalize people for it. You don’t invite investment and then punish people for it. You don’t change the rules in the middle of a game. We all want safe products. We all want responsible regulations. So, let’s create the guardrails.” 

Darrin B. Madison 

• “I have been fighting for cannabis legalization—full cannabis legalization in the state since I’ve been elected in 2022. When this year happened and the hemp industry got put at risk, I was one of the first people alongside my good colleague, Representative Hysell, who couldn’t be here today, who said, we need to do something about this.” 

• “We introduced legislation that would ensure products, testing and safety standards would have clear labeling requirements to create a licensing and age verification model. It would keep hemp and cannabis-derived products out of the hands of our children, create reasonable taxation and do what Wisconsin has been known for doing since its inception: protect farmers in the agricultural sector.” 

• “We’ve come here to say, we need to save this industry for small businesses, for workers, and for consumers alike. So, what are we going to do? Are we going to sit quietly while our businesses fail?” 

Ryan Clancy 

• “With your help, in November, we will have a Democratic trifecta in January. And that means that we will be able to make this a priority. For the first time in more than a decade and a half, we’ll not just be able to get a bill to fix this, but we’re going to be able to make it law.” 

• “To take away the ambiguity and the uncertainty that now surrounds the 3,500 jobs in Wisconsin that, having taken no action, and having gone out of session in March, according to Republicans, has jeopardized. It is high time to pass commonsense legislation to reduce that uncertainty, and to make sure that business can move forward. That we can regulate and protect agriculture and consumers.” 

Chris Larson 

• “I wore as much green as I possibly could for you all, and I’m glad that there’s a lot of other people I see out there. Green is my favorite color for many different reasons. But the fact that everybody is out here on the hottest day imaginable just shows—and to see the enthusiasm of folks out here, it’s good to know that this is an issue that’s not being ignored.” 

• “Frankly, this is not a partisan issue. This is more an issue about special interests and who controls the power within Madison.” 

• “They said if you want to have legalization in the state of Wisconsin, then it will have to pass through the broken archaic system that keeps the Tavern League at the helm. And spoiler, they would have smothered the hemp industry, which is exactly what they’re trying to do by not allowing it to legalize in our state.” 

• “When the vote comes up, I think it’ll be broadly bipartisan, but we must push the special interests to decide to get to do that.” 

Mandela Barnes Speaks at Rally

Mandela Barnes, former lieutenant governor who ran in the 2026 Democratic primary for governor of Wisconsin before dropping out, was also in attendance and spoke when arriving at the end of the rally. 

“We have a legislature that has completely run away from their responsibility. Completely run away from their duties. Especially when we talk about the hemp industry. Especially when they have taken a pass time and time again to do the responsible thing, and that is legal, recreational marijuana,” Barnes said at the rally. 

Barnes went on to talk about when marijuana was legalized in Illinois, and at the time he said in a speech that “Wisconsinites were going to be the number one contributor to the Illinois tollway.” 

The former governor candidate wants to reverse this trend and start to see people from Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota coming to Wisconsin instead of the other way around. 

“Wisconsin has had some of the worst disparities in incarceration when it comes to marijuana arrests and convictions, and it is time for us to right that wrong,” Barnes said towards the end of his speech. 

Barnes also mentioned wanting to use the money that would come from the hemp business to help fund road repair and extra funding for schools. He encouraged the crowd to get out and vote in the primary election on August 11. 

Candidates Running for Office Make Appearance

Candidates running for office who attended the rally included Amy Zimmerman (Democrat), Mike Moeller (Republican), Mike Morgan (Republican), Shandowlyon Hendricks Reaves (Republican), Kyle Cleary (Republican), Lee Whiting (Republican) and David Sanchez (Democrat).  

These candidates played a game of “thumbs up, thumbs down” which meant each candidate either raised a green thumbs up or a red thumbs down in response to statements said by Kelly. All of them agreed with her statements. 

“Instead of me speaking at you, we’re going to play a little game. But I promise it’ll be nice and easy. And green is my favorite color as a reminder,” Kelly prefaced the game with. 

The statements Kelly said in her game of “thumbs up, thumbs down” included: 

• “I support businesses like Kelly’s Greens, and I’m committed to taking action in 2026 to save the hemp industry in Wisconsin.” 

• “3,500 Wisconsin jobs, a $700 million industry and over 275 licensed hemp farmers are worth fighting for.” 

• “Before the state of Wisconsin begins to explore full recreational and medicinal marijuana, it is imperative to save the existing hemp industry that’s been around for eight years, that includes businesses like Kelly’s Greens.” 

• “This isn’t about the red or the blue. It’s about green. And hemp is the star of this show. For Wisconsin’s economy and farmers, we must keep hemp legal.”