Many topics have dominated the headlines this semester, from the University of Wisconsin's personnel troubles to stem cells. One of the more salient issues thus far has also been marijuana: with legalization advocates holding their annual Harvest Fest in Madison earlier this week and lawmakers introducing a bill to the state legislature aiming to legalize medicinal marijuana, stoners and the ill alike appear to have high hopes for the future of the plant. However, such optimism must be checked at the door when we take into account a group of kind activists congregating in Library Mall is extremely unlikely to change decades of abrasive drug laws, and the legislation allowing medicinal marijuana has about as much chance of passing the GOP-heavy legislature as a measure allowing homosexuals to marry. [continues 749 words]
The state Legislature - led by Gregg Underheim, Mark Pocan and Spencer Black - will soon begin contemplating the limited legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes within Wisconsin. The legislation, already once dismissed and surely controversial for panoply of reasons, is sure to stir passionate reactions from hippies and yuppies alike. And for once, we're siding with the tie-dye-toting lifetime members of the Bob Marley fan club. While reasonable arguments exist against the cart-blanche legalization of marijuana, we find no such convincing logic in the barring of its limited medical application. Those suddenly becoming doctor-sanctioned tokers would be some of the most debilitated members of society, almost universally terminally ill and fervently unconcerned with the long-term consequences of a drug capable of alleviating short-term pain. [continues 304 words]
A bill condoning the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is pending introduction in the Wisconsin State Assembly, a state representative said Sunday. If passed, the legislation would allow physicians to recommend in writing that patients who qualify could obtain marijuana legally. While federal law currently overrides state law regarding the use of medical marijuana, the matter continues to be adjudicated in the court system. The bill is aimed to help relieve symptoms of people who suffer from painful and debilitating diseases, like cancer and multiple sclerosis, State Rep. Gregg Underheim, R-Oshkosh, the lead author of the bill, said. [continues 545 words]
Thousands gathered at the University of Wisconsin's Library Mall to attend the 35th Annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival this past weekend. The event, organized by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), typically takes place beneath a well-known cloud of marijuana smoke. Though police are present during the annual event, enforcement of drug laws is not common. "This is the only weekend where you can smoke weed in public and not be arrested," Jon Tischner, event attendee, said. "Cops are there, and they know people are smoking, but they don't really do anything about it." [continues 416 words]
Since 1998, the government has denied more than 157,000 people federal financial aid because of an amendment in the Higher Education Act barring assistance to all students with drug convictions, according to Students for Sensible Drug Policy. This policy does nothing to deter potential students from committing drug-related crimes, said Tom Angell, communications director for the group, which is working to repeal the legislation. Angell said the act makes it difficult for drug offenders to break out of the cycle of criminal behavior, meaning the provision actually causes more crime. [continues 411 words]
The use of marijuana is illegal in the United States, but for victims of glaucoma, marijuana significantly aids in slowing the progression of vision loss. Glaucoma victim Gary Storck began to lose his eyesight as a young child. His doctors prescribed several conventional medications that were unsuccessful in recovering his vision. In 1972, Storck smoked marijuana before going to see his doctors, and his eye pressure was no longer elevated. Storck is a member of the Drug Police Task Force and Is My Medicine Legal Yet? (IMMLY), a nonprofit medical-marijuana advocacy group based in Mondovi, Wis., and Madison. [continues 332 words]
Council Condemns Anti-Gay-Marriage Amendment, Supports Marijuana Students anticipating smoke-free bars in Madison may have to wait an extra year. Before presiding over Tuesday's City Council meeting, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz requested Monday to delay the proposed ban on smoking in city restaurants and bars from 2005 until 2006. His announcement to the Madison Public Health Commission would delay the ban from beginning in 2005 and push it back to 2006. While Cieslewicz is in favor of a smoke-free Madison, he said he did not want to force bars and restaurants to abolish all smoking until 2006, anticipating problems arising from implementing the ban earlier than originally planned. [continues 444 words]
With the opening of Mad Hydro at 449 State St. Thursday, hydroponics growers, glassblowers and glass-pipe buyers now have a new retail haven. The basement level of the store will open today as a glass-pipe shop as well as a glassblowing studio with benches available for rent, said owner Jane Davis of Mukwonago. The 14 cases of inside-out spoon pipes, hammers, sidecars and cigar-holder pipes that will be available Friday were created mostly by Davis. The thickness of the pipes, the evenness of the glass, the number of colors used and the amount of the pipe that is filled with color are all elements Davis said make her products superior to catalog-ordered pipes. [continues 375 words]
Medical marijuana has been used to treat pain for a number of diseases, including cancer and HIV. In a recent study, cannabis was used to treat multiple-sclerosis patients. In research conducted by Dr. John Zajicek of the University of Plymouth, more than 600 MS patients from all over Britain were given marijuana to test its pain-relieving ability. In the form of an under-the-tongue spray, cannabis was given to some patients, while others were given a placebo to test the effects of the drug. [continues 421 words]
Frequent marijuana smokers are not known for their stamina and, according to a recent study at Buffalo University, neither are their sperm. Though experts have said for years that heavy marijuana use has negative effects on fertility, the BU study is the first to discover exactly why. Scientists at Buffalo University found that regular smokers had significantly less seminal fluid and a lower sperm count. Their sperm were also more likely to swim too fast, too early, leading to burnout before they reach the egg. [continues 500 words]
With the University of Wisconsin ranked No. 4 for "reefer madness" on campus, it comes as no surprise that smoking is strong, the weed is potent and dealers run rampant. Ashcroft's federal push and regulations put glass blowers out of business, in jail and under scrutiny for a short time, but Madison has pulled through the push and is continuing to sell pipes in a few head shops under the stipulation that they be solely used for tobacco use. For a short time, pipes were shoved to the back of stores, cases selling these pieces of art were cut down from seven to one, and some stores even stopped selling entirely. [continues 176 words]
Despite a federal crackdown and an increase in the tenacity of anti-drug laws, some students believe there has not been a noticeable decrease in the amount of drugs dealt on the University of Wisconsin campus. "I don't think much has changed in the last few years," said Aaron Monroe of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy. Monroe's group advocates against a stipulation that was added to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid that restricts students with prior drug convictions from receiving financial assistance for college. [continues 412 words]
Despite efforts from the White House and the Drug Enforcement Administration to rid America's cities of marijuana paraphernalia, a few of Madison's head shops continue to sell handcrafted glass pipes. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft ignited a nationwide crackdown on the selling of these items in stores and through Internet purchases in the early months of this year when he, in a news conference to announce his intentions, condemned the paraphernalia business as a billion-dollar industry that exploits youth culture. [continues 433 words]
It's not everyday one can walk down State Street and see up to 100 people march to the Capitol with some taking hits off of joints, others passing pipes and some chanting, "We smoke pot, and we like it a lot!" These people rallied together through speakers and music Saturday to support Harvest Fest's effort -- education about the legalization and effects of marijuana. "It's a chance to get out and meet like-minded people in the community," said Aaron Monroe, member of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. [continues 459 words]
With a plethora of anti-drug advertisements on TV and in magazines daily, advertisers have begun to worry that teens could be tuning the ads out. However, according to two recent White House reports, the ads are indeed getting the desired message to their target audience. The White House conducted two surveys to test the effectiveness of the government's latest anti-drug ad campaigns. Of the more than 30,000 teenagers who participated, the majority said advertisements relating drug use, more specifically marijuana use, to terrorism is in fact gaining their attention [continues 532 words]
George McMahon is a member of an exceptionally small group of people who can not only smoke marijuana legally but also have it supplied to him by the federal government. McMahon, 53, is also exceptionally ill and has been sick and in pain for as long as he can remember. With co-author Christopher Largen, McMahon recently wrote a book that chronicles his struggle with a debilitating disease and his ongoing crusade to make medical marijuana available to the masses. "I don't want to call it maltreatment [by the doctors]," McMahon, "but that's basically what it was." [continues 416 words]
Although similar numbers of African Americans and whites are sentenced in Dane County to serve prison terms each year, Dane County's overwhelmingly white population causes a disproportionate ratio of African Americans admitted to prison compared to whites, according to a pair of UW professors. UW Sociology Professor Pamela Oliver said in 1999 a total of 86 African Americans and 67 whites sentenced in Dane County were admitted to prison, but compared with their respective populations in the county, the ratio of African Americans sentenced to prison compared to whites was 33 to 1. [continues 552 words]
After State Street head shops cleaned out their pipe selection to avoid prosecution for selling "drug paraphernalia," Freedom skate and head shop closed down Friday and moved across the street to join Knuckleheads Tobacco and Gifts. Corporate president Steve Agee said the consolidation was not a difficult decision because the same corporation owns Freedom and Knuckleheads. "It was a corporate secret, so we could have something on either side of Pipefitter's," Agee said. He said Freedom would not have survived through the winter because most of the store's winter revenue came from pipe sales. [continues 344 words]
Whether bowing to public opinion or considering cost-cutting in light of budget deficits, some states are considering slackening their marijuana laws. Six state legislatures are working on bills to decriminalize marijuana, and 14 states are reviewing proposals to legalize medical marijuana. In Maryland, a bill passed the House of Delegates that would legalize medical marijuana. Bruce Mirken, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, said the bill is slightly different from the one his organization advocated. "This bill stipulates that if you're arrested, you can present evidence that you're a medical marijuana user, and if that evidence is persuasive, you can avoid jail time and get off with a fine of not more than a hundred dollars," Mirken said. "That doesn't spare medical users the unpleasantness of going to court or the cost of hiring an attorney." [continues 448 words]
Despite the federal crackdown on drug paraphernalia sellers and marijuana-related websites, several University of Wisconsin marijuana sellers say their business remains stable. One UW junior marijuana seller said marijuana use on campus is more casual than people realize. "It's not some dark underworld drug scene," he said. "The people who are doing this are laid-back, relaxed people. You get it from your neighbor or your friend down the street." Another UW student and former seller said he was surprised by how widespread the marijuana industry is in Madison, even in his workplace. [continues 575 words]
