After last weekend’s Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival protest on the Capitol steps brought attention to the issue of medical marijuana, two Wisconsin Democrats have proposed legislation that would legalize cannabis for medical purposes in the state.
According to a statement from advocacy group Is My Medicine Legal Yet?, Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, are the co-authors of the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act, which if passed would allow terminally or seriously ill patients to grow or have someone else grow a small amount of cannabis for medical use.
Rickert is a Mondovi, Wis., citizen suffering from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome who was never given federal government-issued joints for medical use, according to the statement.
Michigan voters approved a similar initiative in a statewide referendum, which is the basis for the Wisconsin bill, said Gary Storck, spokesperson for IMMLY. The bill is the early stages of development, currently gaining co-sponsorships from Wisconsin senators and representatives.
Storck said the legislation covers a broad base of debilitating illnesses and he named post-traumatic stress disorder as a prominent target of the bill.
“It’s been known for many years that cannabis is a potent remedy for the symptoms of PTSD,” Storck said. “It helps them sleep and wean themselves off of alcohol and other substances that may be preventing them from readjusting.”
Stork said he hopes the inclusion of PTSD as a debilitating condition will compel the state Legislature to give more consideration to the bill. He also said medical marijuana dispensaries more tightly regulated than those found in California would be allowed for patients with a state-issued ID card.
Storck also cited President Barack Obama’s administration’s decision not to interfere with state-sponsored cannabis dispensaries, an overridden veto in Rhode Island allowing dispensaries and the lack of hostility from Wisconsin citizens and legislators as factors that have made the issue more mainstream.
According to Erpenbach spokesperson Julie Laundrie, the issue has become more legitimate around the country in the past years; 13 states now allow the use of medical marijuana and 14 states currently have medical marijuana legislation pending.
Laundrie also said she believes the issue of medical marijuana will go beyond partisan politics.
“Mostly, people who would be using medical marijuana would be at the end of life or in very dire situations,” Laundrie said. “Everyone knows someone that has really struggled when they were dying or when they were in treatment that was really painful or awful for them. I don’t think that has anything to do with party lines.”
Since the bill is still in its preliminary stages, it is difficult to measure Republican support or opposition to the bill. However, Kimber Liedl, spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said the legalization of marijuana should not be allowed, even under medical circumstances.
“The addictive and dangerous nature of the drug outweighs its benefits,” Liedl said. “It’s not high on the legislative agenda for this session. Other initiatives such as drunken driving legislation hold a greater priority than the legalization of marijuana.”
