JENSEN DEPRIVED PATIENTS OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Regarding the indicted former Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen's Nov. 28
Freeman letter, "Jensen thankful of community," in which he stated that
although it has been a difficult year for him in many ways, he still had a
lot to be thankful for ...

There are a lot of Wisconsinites who are not blessed with good health like
Jensen and his family and, for many of them, relief from suffering has been
elusive. Some patients have found relief or at least regained a little
quality of life through the medicinal use of marijuana, when conventional
treatments have been ineffective, and two polls conducted in Wisconsin in
2002 found that up to 80 percent of Wisconsinites support legalizing
medical marijuana. A recent Time magazine poll found 80 percent of
Americans support legalizing medical marijuana.

Still, the medical use of marijuana remains illegal. A bill introduced in
the state Assembly in January 2002 that would have legalized medical
marijuana died in committee because then-Speaker Scott Jensen assigned the
bill to state Rep. Scott Suder's Criminal Justice Committee, where Suder,
Jensen's protZgZ, dutifully followed Jensen's orders to bury the bill,
refusing to give it a hearing.

So while the "blessed" ex-speaker says he has a lot to be thankful for,
Wisconsin patients have been "blessed" with Jensen's idea of compassionate
conservatism - withholding legal access to an essential medicine from sick
and dying Wisconsinites, despite the fact an overwhelming majority of state
residents support this option, irregardless of political affiliation.

Hopefully the state Legislature will move quickly when a new medical
marijuana bill is introduced in January, and thankfully Jensen will not be
in a position to exacerbate the suffering of ailing Wisconsinites by
cynically working to deprive them of an effective treatment like cannabis.

And hopefully Jensen will be "blessed" with a huge piece of coal in his
stocking this Christmas for the suffering he has inflicted on his fellow
Wisconsinites.

Gary Storck

Madison