Dear Editor: Gov. Scott Walker indicated in a recent interview that he believes the only medical use from the cannabis plant is limited to just one cannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD), and only for use for childhood seizure disorders that don't respond to conventional treatments. Medical marijuana isn't needed according to "Dr." Walker, because "studies show medically there are much more viable alternatives within the health care community." The health care community might beg to differ, having produced more than 22,000 published studies or reviews in the scientific literature referencing the cannabis plant and its cannabinoids. Marijuana has been studied more than 85-90 percent of prescription medications. [continues 170 words]
Dear Editor: Republicans had a great election Nov. 4, but so did marijuana legalization. Florida's Amendment 2, which would have legalized medical cannabis, drew 57.6 percent of the vote, a little short of the required 60 percent. Despite falling short, it still drew a half million more votes than Florida Gov. Rick Scott. Alaska's Measure 2, legalizing adult use of cannabis, won with 52.15 percent, just a shade less than Scott Walker's 52.29 percent in Wisconsin. [continues 124 words]
Dear Editor: Thanks for publishing Gary Storck's thoughtful letter: "Best help for ALS may be to legalize medical marijuana." I'd like to add that cannabis not only treats ALS and many types of cancer, it can help prevent these diseases. I strongly suggest the readers read Clint Werner's book "Marijuana, Gateway to Health: How cannabis protects us from cancer and Alzheimer's disease." Why has our government not informed us about the many health benefits of cannabis? Because research into cannabis' therapeutic effects is blocked by the government due to its classification in the most restricted category of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Our government can only research and fund research into the potential harms of cannabis, but never any benefits. Is something wrong with this situation? I certainly think so. Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. [end]
Dear Editor: The "ice bucket challenge" to raise awareness about ALS is all the rage among politicians these days, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his wife, Tonette. As there are few conventional treatments for ALS, perhaps the best way to help those suffering would be to instead advocate for legalizing medical cannabis in Wisconsin. In May, I attended a conference in Portland, Ore., presented by Patients Out of Time, "The Endocannabinoid System and Age-Related Illnesses." In a presentation on ALS and cannabis, Dr. Gregory T. Carter, a clinical professor at the University of Washington, stated that medical cannabis is "almost custom-made to treat ALS. It dries the mouth up, relieves pain, eases muscle spasms, improves the appetite, and may well have a disease-modifying effect." [continues 152 words]
Live music fans gathered near the stage at the Marquette Waterfront Festival in Yahara Place Park a few weeks ago barely took notice of the smell of marijuana smoke in the air. The unmistakable odor is as ubiquitous at east side festivals as ethnic food, jewelry vendors and men with beards. Along with Colorado, Washington state a=C2=80" which both recently legalized marijuana a=C2=80" and California, where a crick in the neck or sleeping problems can qualify for a medical permit to buy marijuana, Madison is well known for being lenient on casual pot smokers. [continues 531 words]
Dear Editor: I have suffered from glaucoma and other serious medical conditions since birth. Thirty-five years ago, my ophthalmologist wrote in a letter, "I am familiar with reports that marijuana lowers intraocular pressure in many people who have glaucoma. If marijuana were available for me to prescribe to this patient, I would be willing to do so, in the hope it would adequately control his condition with fewer side effects than the medications currently available." Eight years earlier, when I had smoked marijuana before a checkup, another eye doctor found my usually highly elevated eye pressures were normal. [continues 189 words]
Dear Editor: It was good to see Gov. Scott Walker sign legislation legalizing a form of medical marijuana to treat pediatric seizure disorders. However, Walker's signature does not mean that the children, whose stories moved usually stern lawmakers to tears, will see their medicine anytime soon. According to Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, under the law, multiple federal agencies will have to give their approval - "a process that typically takes several years." Given Walker's rejection of billions in federal aid for high-speed rail and Medicaid, why is he now deferring to federal regulators to make critical decisions regarding the health of state children? [continues 166 words]
A bill recently signed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker aimed at addressing a frightening rise in heroin-related deaths prevents those who report another person's overdose from being prosecuted for drug possession. However, the person suffering from the overdose may still face jail time when they come to. Madison Police Officer Howard Payne, a department spokesman, says he believes most overdose cases result in criminal charges. "Officers investigate that matter as thoroughly as they can and arrive at a decision as to whether a charge is appropriate," he says. "At minimum it's a possession-level (offense)." [continues 350 words]
Dear Editor: While spring elections are often overlooked, this year Dane County voters will find something special on their ballots on April 1. Referendum #2, asking "Should the state government enact legislation legalizing marijuana?" will appear on all Dane County ballots. While Referendum #2 is advisory and changes no laws, it is a rare opportunity for voters to express their opinion on marijuana prohibition. Polling has found a majority of Americans now support repeal. Please support ending cannabis prohibition with your YES vote April 1 on Referendum #2! Gary Storck Madison [end]
Dear Editor: Gov. Scott Walker's opinionating on the safety of marijuana versus alcohol and embrace of the long-rejected gateway theory collides sharply with changing public attitudes towards pot ("Scott Walker: Big difference between having a beer and smoking marijuana"). While Wisconsinites may disagree politically, an overwhelming majority supports medical use and a thin-but-growing margin supports taxing and regulating adult use. Walker's "Reefer Madness" redux shows he is as out of touch on pot as he is on other social issues gaining majority support like gay marriage. Gary Storck Madison [end]
Dear Editor: Citizens are ahead of politicians when it comes to support for changing cannabis (marijuana) laws. (Half of Wisconsin voters support marijuana legalization, Nov. 18, 2013). According to polls, support for changing cannabis laws, including RE-legalizing cannabis and regulating the plant like alcohol, is on the rise and perhaps has reached the tipping point to end cannabis prohibition. One of the few obstacles is stubborn politicians who resist representing constituents. The cannabis issue easily exposes which politicians are the worst at representing constituents, and they should be replaced. A sane argument to continue caging responsible adults for using the relatively safe, extremely popular, God-given plant cannabis doesn't exist. Colorado has RE-legalized cannabis and the sky has not even pretended to fall in. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
In two states last year, voters legalized recreational marijuana. One of those states, Colorado, is similar politically to Wisconsin. And yet, few among Wisconsin's political class appear to take pot legalization seriously. If anything, it is dismissed as a wacky western idea that has no place in the heartland. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke seemed amused when asked what she thought about cannabis legalization several weeks ago. "I don't think that's where the people of Wisconsin are at," said Burke, who has indicated she could support legalizing medical marijuana. [continues 578 words]
Dear Editor: The Obama administration's announcement that it will no longer stand in the way of state marijuana laws is great news. Under the new guidance, federal authorities will respect state laws with "strong and effective regulatory and enforcement systems." Wisconsin citizens have long been far ahead of state politicians on medical cannabis and the failure to legalize medical pot has hurt the state economy and led to an exodus of citizens to the now 20 states and Washington, D.C, where medical marijuana is legal and the two states - Washington and Colorado - where adult use is also legal. [continues 178 words]
Gary Storck has been working for marijuana legalization for a long time. The 57-year-old Madison resident started to use it as a medication for glaucoma when he was 17 years old, and it worked. "I smoked some and went to see my eye doctor and my eye pressures were normal," he says. "They were usually very elevated when I went in without using cannabis." Born with a condition called Noonan syndrome, which causes heart problems, joint pain and a variety of other health issues, he found that marijuana - he prefers the term cannabis - relieved a lot of pain from those ailments as well. [continues 1217 words]
Dear Editor: While President Obama's re-election was huge, the successful marijuana initiatives in Colorado and Washington state were arguably more significant. As someone who first tried cannabis four decades ago and, like millions of Americans, never stopped, I've been waiting my entire adult life for some common sense on pot laws. In the 1970s even President Jimmy Carter said cannabis should be legal and it seemed like it was at times. Madison voters favored legalization in a November 1976 advisory referendum and passed a local ordinance decriminalizing pot in April 1977 that remains on the books today. Then came the Ronald Reagan years, when the federal war on pot began to snowball with the adoption of more and more punitive and harmful policies. Studies documenting medical uses were buried. Reagan's successors, along with Congress and state legislatures, kept the drug war pork flowing. [continues 163 words]
Ben Masel loved liberty. No, not talking about liberty, in the way that self-serving politicians and pontificating pundits do. Liberty was his passion, his avocation, his life's work. Even as he was battling the lung cancer that would end his remarkable life, Masel kept struggling to make real the promise of freedom that has been so often made and so frequently denied to Americans. A few weeks ago, on a break between radiation and chemotherapy treatments, Masel was outside the Willy Street Co-op promoting the latest of his political projects when a manager informed him that the activity was not allowed. Masel stood his ground. The police were called and they informed the veteran of 40 years of speaking truth to power that he had to cease his campaigning. Actually, Masel informed the officers, he had every right to exercise his rights in so public a place. He directed them to review a specific section on a specific page of a specific set of rules and regulations. The manual was retrieved and reviewed and, when all was said and done, Masel's assessment of his rights - and those of all who dare dissent - was accepted. [continues 1064 words]
Ben Masel, prominent marijuana activist and professional rabble rouser, died Saturday from complications due to lung cancer. He was 56. Diagnosed in January, Masel had recently made it through 25 radiation treatments for the disease, but was too weak to face chemotherapy. He died just before 9 a.m., surrounded by family at a nearby hospice center. "He made a point of living at the front lines and fighting for his rights," said Semilla Anderson, Masel's daughter. "He will be remembered for that." [continues 417 words]
Dear Editor: The grass-roots advocacy campaign for medical marijuana in Wisconsin has ignited a firestorm of interest in how state government works. Thousands and thousands of state residents are learning for the first time who represents them because of the popularity of this issue. A recent ABC news poll found that nationwide, 81 percent of Americans, and 72 percent of Republicans, want medical marijuana legalized. The question remains, however, will our Legislature listen to the will of the people? To their credit, many state lawmakers have already signaled they will vote for the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act. However, the lack of bipartisan support for a decidedly nonpartisan issue is sad. [continues 191 words]
Dear Editor: It is time for our lawmakers to adopt the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act. Too many have passed already who could have found relief with legal medical cannabis, too many have been arrested and incarcerated for trying to manage their own pain. Costs for interdiction and incarceration rise: Now is the time to move forward with compassion. Supporters of the medical marijuana bill introduced by Rep. Mark Pocan and Sen. Jon Erpenbach will gather at noon Jan. 20 in the Capitol rotunda in Madison for a memorial remembering Mary Powers and other patients who simply ran out of time. The price they paid, the pain they endured, is enough. It is time to stand up with the now 14 states that have recognized the legitimacy of medical pot. [continues 112 words]
Dear Editor: I would like to respond to Jay Selthofner's letter calling for approval of medical marijuana with a few words of my own. I would like to thank Rep. Mark Pocan and Sen. Jon Erpenbach for having the courage to stand up and do what is right by introducing the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act. I would also like to thank the American Nurses Association, the Wisconsin Nurses Association, the American and Wisconsin Public Health Associations, the American College of Physicians, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Academy of HIV Medicine, just to name a few, for supporting the use of therapeutic cannabis. [continues 97 words]
