T.H.C. EXPO HELD IN BERLIN

On Saturday, February 6, a crowd gathered at the Berlin Library from
noon to 3 p.m. to attend the T.H.C. Expo ("Talking Hemp and Cannabis")
to learn about Wisconsin's Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act (JRMMA)
that was introduced by Representative Mark Pocan (D-Madison), Senator
Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) and a number of other legislators in
November 2009 and is currently being reviewed by the Committee on
Public Health in both the assembly and the senate. Assembly Bill
554/Senate Bill 368, similar to the medical marijuana bill that passed
in Michigan in November of 2008, would make it legal for those who
have certain illnesses or diseases to purchase and use marijuana for
medicinal purposes when prescribed by a physician..

Passing of the bill would mean that those who suffer from Cancer and
are having chemotherapy could use marijuana to relieve the nausea and
vomiting often brought on by the chemo treatment. Those who suffer
from seizure disorders, AIDS, severe glaucoma, Crohn's Disease,
Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,
Hepititis C, Alzheimer's Disease, and other illnesses that cause
wasting away, severe pain, or persistent muscle spasms would be able
to use the medicinal marijuana legally. Advocates of the JRMMA are
hopeful that the bill will pass out of the Committee for Public Health
by March 4 and pass by April 22, with Wisconsin becoming the 14th
state to legalize medicinal marijuana. Thirteen other states have
passed similar laws, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii,
Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island,
Vermont, and Washington.

The Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act was named after Mondovi,
Wisconsin resident Jacki Rickert, who suffers with advanced Reflex
Sympathetic Distrophy and also a rare disease called Ehlers-Danlos
Syndrome (EDS). This disease is caused by uncommon genetic mutations
which disrupt the production of collagen, a chief component of
connective tissue.

The disease affects connective tissues of the skin, joints, blood
vessel walls, and often bone marrow, with an early onset of
osteoarthritis, muscle weakness, and pain. Jacki has been
wheelchair-bound for many years and has persistent pain. There is no
cure for EDS.

Jacki was a featured speaker at Berlin's T.H.C. Expo (THC also stands
for tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the main substance found in the
cannabis plant) on Saturday and urged people to contact their
representatives to advocate for the passage of the JRMMA. Jacki
founded an advocate organization called "Is My Medication Legal Yet?"
(IMMLY), and has been an activist for legalizing medical marijuana for
over two decades. A bill legalizing medical marijuana has been
attempted in Wisconsin in the past, but never made it out of the
Committee for Public Health.

For further information, visit: www.jrmma.org, www.immly.org;
www.uf4a.org, www.autism.com.