MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW TO BE CONSIDERED

A Republican state representative says it's time to consider letting doctors
prescribe marijuana for medicinal use after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled
Tuesday the federal government cannot punish doctors for recommending
marijuana to their ill patients.

The court's decision "leaves it up to individual states to determine the
enforcement standards for (marijuana's) medicinal use," said Rep. Gregg
Underheim, R-Oshkosh.

Ten states have approved the use of medical marijuana for people with
terminal of debilitating diseases. Underheim, chairman of the Assembly
Health Committee, said he plans to introduce similar legislation and hold
hearings to gauge the support for such a law in Wisconsin.

"The therapeutic effects of marijuana are believed to help improve the
quality of end-of-life situations by decreasing pain and nausea and
stimulating appetite," Underheim said.