La Crosse County Assistant District Attorney Todd Bjerke's claims that marijuana today is more potent than in the 1960s and '70s is plain, old reefer madness, "Drug arrests up 22 percent as trafficking, enforcement increase in region," (Jan. 22). The truth is that these claims have been repeatedly debunked. A report by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws found "the notion that pot has increased dramatically in potency is a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration myth based on biased government data." NORML found that "a careful examination of the government's data show that average marijuana potency increased modestly by a factor of two or so during the '70s, and has been more or less constant ever since." [continues 150 words]
I have to respectfully disagree with your article of Oct. 13 'Biskupic well prepared for Attorney General.' Unfortunately many Republicans, while campaigning for office, claim they will be responsive to the wishes of their constituents, but once in office, put the agenda of their party far ahead of the wishes of their constituents. Wisconsinites, by virtue of a Chamberlain Research poll conducted last February, overwhelmingly support legalizing access to medical marijuana, with 80.3 percent expressing support and only 16 percent in opposition. [continues 227 words]
Editor: While the legislature has promptly addressed the crisis of chronic wasting disease in deer by passing a law in special session that Gov. McCallum is reportedly ready to sign, it has turned a blind eye to the suffering of Wisconsinites chronically wasting away from illnesses like cancer and AIDS who could benefit by having legal access to medical marijuana. And cancer and AIDS represent just two subsets of the many illnesses that respond favorably to marijuana's medicinal properties. With the medical marijuana bill that was introduced in January bottled up in committee, thanks to the cynical manipulations of Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, the chances of the legislature acting to protect sick and dying Wisconsinites from arrest and jail if they choose to employ this therapy are, at this point, just about nil. [continues 214 words]
Editor: The state Legislature has turned a blind eye to the suffering of Wisconsinites chronically wasting away from illnesses like cancer and AIDS who could benefit by having legal access to medical marijuana. Cancer and AIDS represent just two subsets of the many illnesses that respond favorably to marijuana's medicinal properties. With the medical marijuana bill that was introduced in January bottled up in committee, thanks to the cynical manipulations of Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, R-Waukesha, the chances of the Legislature acting to protect sick and dying Wisconsinites from arrest and jail if they choose to employ this therapy are, at this point, just about nil. [continues 174 words]
I was sorry to see The Capital Times did not cover the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin's convention that was held at the Alliant Center in Madison on April 13. Cap Times readers would have been interested in Republican New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson's well-spoken and sensible call for the legalization of marijuana and adoption of harm reduction strategies in dealing with other drug use. Another high point was Ed Thompson's impassioned support for allowing sick and dying Wisconsinites to use marijuana as medicine and lauding the work of his Buffalo County campaign director, Jacki Rickert, a well-known medical marijuana activist. [continues 125 words]
MADISON - Kudos to Dan Desmond for his April 6 Forum letter, "Let chronically ill decide on drug use," supporting the medical use of marijuana. A recently released poll conducted by Chamberlain Research Consultants of Madison found that over 80 percent of Wisconsinites support the legislature passing a law to give seriously and terminally ill patients legal access to marijuana with the support of their physicians. Clearly, state residents understand that making criminals out of sick and dying for using a beneficial herb to regain a little quality of life is not just cruel, but bad public policy. When are our elected representatives going to catch up with the people who elect them? Gary Storck [end]
Your article, "A Federal Case?" (2/22/02) reported doubts that there will be a federal investigation into the Capitol's caucus scandal, because, according to sources, federal authorities are too preoccupied with other matters. Interesting then, that the feds weren't too busy to leave a drug investigation to state authorities, such as the one of Jocko's bartenders. They were all minor players and definitely not kingpins who were singled out and prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and who now serving lengthy sentences in federal prisons at taxpayer expense. [continues 58 words]
Regarding your article, "Environmental policy may see broad changes" (3/4/02), about the Bush Administration's new plan that seeks to shift responsibility for pollution control and public-land use to local government and private interests. The article quotes EPA director Christie Whitman as saying, "The president's philosophy is that not all wisdom lies in Washington". While Whitman is certainly correct in opining that not all wisdom lies in Washington, it sure would be nice to see some consistency in the Administration's rhetoric, which usually is that all wisdom lies in Washington. [continues 228 words]
Your editorial of Jan. 31 "An Arrest in Tallahassee," made some good points about the arrest of Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter Noelle, accused of forging a prescription for Xanax. The existence of prescription drugs with a high abuse potential such as Xanax shows that even if all marijuana, coca and poppy plants were somehow wiped off the face of the Earth, there would still be plenty of other substances to abuse, whether they be prescription drugs or even common household products that can be inhaled. [continues 159 words]
Your editorial of Jan. 31 "An Arrest in Tallahassee," made some good points about the arrest of Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter Noelle, accused of forging a prescription for Xanax. The existence of prescription drugs with a high abuse potential such as Xanax shows that even if all marijuana, coca and poppy plants were somehow wiped off the face of the Earth, there would still be plenty of other substances to abuse, whether they be prescription drugs or even common household products that can be inhaled. [continues 158 words]
Medical marijuana is something a lot of people would not want to need, but if accident or illness were to strike, it is definitely something that most people would want to have available if they did need it. Sadly, as things now stand, if one is unfortunate enough to develop serious illnesses like cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, AIDS, arthritis, or suffer from chronic pain, and finds standard treatments do not provide relief, there are two options, risk arrest and jail, or go without and suffer. In a time of so many medical miracles, why is it be a crime to use a non-toxic and natural herb if it can help? [continues 221 words]
After reading your editorial criticizing federal authorities for lying in their propaganda efforts in Afghanistan, "Truth's a better weapon in the information war" (Jan. 7, 2002), I could not help but be struck by the similarities in federal tactics used in the failed war on drugs. In that case, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has been running an expensive, taxpayer-funded advertising campaign for several years now that attempts to curb drug use by engaging in the same types of hyperbole and misinformation used in the Afghan campaign. [continues 174 words]
There is really no doubt that marijuana has medicinal properties. Anyone who says it doesn't is, no pun intended, blowing smoke. So why is it illegal? Should the government really be in the business of promoting suffering? Simply put, every day that the medicinal use of marijuana remains illegal is another day that medicine is withheld from the sick and dying. We wouldn't wish unnecessary suffering on ourselves or family and friends. Why should this medicine be denied to any patient who can benefit? [continues 147 words]
I was at the State Capitol on December 11th and I witnessed what has become a very rare event in Wisconsin politics: Politicians working together to do something that would benefit some of the states most vulnerable people. It was at a press conference called by state Reps. Mark Pocan, D-Madison and Frank Boyle, D-Superior, who were announcing they, along with Rep. Rick Skindrud, R-Mt. Horeb, will introduce legislation that would legalize the medicinal use of marijuana for Wisconsin's sick and dying. Libertarian candidate for governor Ed Thompson also stopped by to express his support for the bill. [continues 160 words]
This is in regard to your Dec. 12 article, "Lawmakers introduce medical marijuana bill," The announcement by Democratic Reps. Mark Pocan and Frank Boyle, with the backing of Republican Rep. Rick Skindrud and the endorsement of Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Ed Thompson marked what has become a very rare event in Wisconsin politics -- politicians working together to do something that would genuinely benefit some of the state's most vulnerable people. What is needed now is a Senate co-sponsor and the cooperation of Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen in making sure the bill gets a fair hearing. While Jensen aide Steve Baas claims this legislation has little popular support, the fact is decades of polling have consistently found at least 65 to 75 percent of Americans support legalizing medical marijuana. Indeed, there are actually few issues that command this much popular support. [continues 167 words]
This is in regards to your article, "Ed Thompson backs medical marijuana bill," (Dec. 12) in which I was quoted. In attending the press conference to show support for this legislation I witnessed what has unfortunately become a very rare event in Wisconsin politics - politicians working together to do something that would benefit some of the states most vulnerable people. In a state grown weary of partisan politics and caucus scandals at the Capitol, the sight of Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians working together was itself medicinal. [continues 307 words]
David Broder's Nov. 11 Op-Ed column, "DEA Marijuana Madness," hit the nail on the head. Why take away sick and dying Californians' source of medical marijuana, especially during a time of national emergency? California voters passed their medical marijuana law five years ago. While campaigning for the presidency George Bush pledged to let states set their own policies on medical marijuana. It's time to end this wasteful war on marijuana. These attacks on some of our most vulnerable citizens demonstrate that George Bush's claims of being a "compassionate conservative" were just rhetoric. Keeping medicine from sick people is not compassion but infliction of pain. [continues 236 words]
Regarding your article "Ashcroft Targets Suicide Doctors" [Nov. 7]: Attorney General John Ashcroft's decision reversing the federal policy toward Oregon's assisted-suicide law and basing it on last May's unanimous Supreme Court ruling on medical marijuana signals that the Bush Administration's so-called "compassionate conservatism" was just a ruse. Drug Enforcement Agency agents busting California medical marijuana clinics and federal policies that keep this medicine from sick and dying Americans intentionally inflicts needless suffering. If the sick and dying can't take it any more, now the federal government won't let doctors help them end it all. Certainly not compassionate, certainly not respecting states' rights and definitely just plain mean. It's time for the government to get out of doctor's offices and start using all its resources to protect us from terrorists, not making life harder for some of our most vulnerable citizens. Gary Storck, Madison, Wisc. [end]
Before Sept. 11, the Sun-Times was a strong voice against the granddaddy of attacks on the Constitution and Bill of Rights: the so-called war on drugs. Years of drug prohibition have created so many exemptions to our freedoms that the recently passed and perversely named U.S.A. Patriot Act is merely the bitter icing on the cake compared with what has come before it. And while the Sun-Times and the nation remain fixated on the new war, the old war continues with a new vengeance. The new administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Asa Hutchinson, has launched a chilling war against medical marijuana in California, where voters passed the state's medical marijuana law five years ago Nov. 5. An entry in the Congressional Record seems to indicate that several congressmen, including the maniacally anti-medical marijuana zealots Bob Barr (R-Ga.) and Mark Souder (R-Ind.), sent investigators from the General Accounting Office to the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center, triggering a raid by 30 armed DEA agents soon after their visit. [continues 106 words]
Last February's drug raid on the wrong house by the a SWAT team from the Waukesha County Metro Drug Enforcement Group was a terrifying experience for the victim, but thankfully no one was badly hurt, except the taxpayers of Waukesha County who will ultimately pay for the overzealous actions of the drug squad. The victim certainly deserves every cent she ends up receiving, and it is up to taxpayers to let elected officials know they are upset with all the waste and harm caused by the war on drugs by voting them out of office. [continues 176 words]
