Wisconsin Groups to Gather at Capitol to Ask State to Be
'Compassionate' In Considering Legalization

MEDICAL MARIJUANA TOPIC OF VIGIL TODAY

A group advocating for the legalization of medical marijuana will hold
a prayer vigil today at the state Capitol in honor of a statewide day
of "compassion" for those who could potentially benefit from the
purported therapeutic uses of the drug.

Wisconsin-based non-profit Is My Medicine Legal Yet? and the Wisconsin
chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
are holding the event in hopes of gaining more support for a bill
currently working its way through the state Legislature that would
legalize medical marijuana for people with specific debilitating illnesses.

The prayer vigil will take place between noon and 1 p.m. Speakers will
include local and state clergy, medical cannabis patients and
advocates for medical marijuana, among others. Following the prayer
vigil, tables and exhibits will be present from 1 to 3 p.m. to provide
education and promote awareness on the bill.

"This isn't about getting high; it's all about relief for patients who
suffer with illnesses like multiple sclerosis, anxiety [and] post
traumatic stress disorder. Evidence in California even shows that
medical marijuana is useful in children with autism," said Gary
Storck, spokesperson for IMMLY and President of Wisconsin NORML.

Between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. IMMLY and Wisconsin NORML will also conduct
a demonstration at the office of the Wisconsin Medical Society, which
has lobbied against medical marijuana in the past.

According to Storck, the demonstration is to encourage the Wisconsin
Medical Society to use medical marijuana on patients with disorders in
which it could potentially have a very positive affect on their lives.

However, some officials disagree not only with the legislation, but
also with the path the movement for legalization is taking in the state.

"It's just not right to have legislation for the admittance of a drug
in the medical community," said Mark Grapentine, Wisconsin Medical
Society senior vice president of government relations. "It should be
the Food and Drug Administration who have the say whether a drug is
legal or not based on expert testing."

Grapentine also mentioned ongoing studies with the American Medical
Association's help that could aid in reclassifying marijuana as
potentially legitimate for medical use, allowing possibilities for
more research on the medical proponents of marijuana.

"We aren't here to discount people's conditions and the pain they
might be going through; it's just that science needs to be the bottom
line here and science doesn't get swayed by public opinion,"
Grapentine said.

Having managed pain in the past with marijuana, Storck mentioned the
benefits that medical marijuana could pose.

"A person with cancer going through chemo only would need a puff or
two in order to be able to eat comfortably. It's not about getting
high - it's about life with dignity," Storck said.

Storck added smoking is not the only way to absorb cannabis, as
smoking can lead to lung problems like bronchitis. Eating the drug or
absorbing it through a patch are alternatives.

"We don't want people to think that this will just happen. It has
taken us 18 years to get to this point, and we really need everyone's
support to make this bill a reality," Storck said.