ED THOMPSON HIGH ON REFORM OF MARIJUANA LAWS

WASHINGTON Feeling like a "duck out of water" in his first-ever trip
to the nation's capital, Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Ed
Thompson on Thursday called for big changes in Wisconsin's marijuana
laws and an end to politicians' "fear mongering" about the drug.

"It's so incredibly stupid that we arrest people for what they do in
the privacy of their own home," said Thompson, whose older brother is
Tommy Thompson, secretary of health and human services and former
four-term governor of Wisconsin.

Ed Thompson, who is on a three-day visit to Washington, made the
comments to pro-marijuana legalization activists at a small reception
in his honor.

"I know a lot of people who smoke marijuana," Thompson said, adding
that he thinks that, compared to alcohol or tobacco, it is relatively
harmless. Thompson, who says he doesn't smoke or drink, favors
legalizing marijuana and allowing its use for medicinal purposes, and
he opposes imprisoning nonviolent drug offenders. This, he said, is
something he learned in his five years as a prison guard.

"Nonviolent people should not be locked up with violent people," he
said, adding that, if elected governor, he would consider pardoning
drug offenders in prison. Thompson said he doubts the Legislature
would go along with some of his proposals on drugs. Last year he
lobbied for a law allowing the medicinal use of marijuana, he said,
but the proposal went nowhere.

Washington-based activists favoring marijuana legalization said they
would give Ed Thompson their support and argued that their support
would be helpful with the broader public. Brother Tommy strongly
opposes both medical marijuana and decriminalization of the drug.

"The American people are way ahead of the politicians on this issue,"
said R. Keith Stroup, executive director of the National Organization
for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, citing polls that he said indicate
public support for medical use of marijuana and opposition to the
arrest of marijuana users.

Ed Thompson, the former mayor of Tomah, came to Washington to meet
with policy experts and to get some publicity for his long-shot
campaign for governor. In addition to meeting with marijuana
activists, Thompson discussed the virtues of school vouchers with the
libertarian Cato Institute, met with several reporters, took a tour
of his brother's office at HHS and, he said, "received an hour of
media training," in which he learned how to improve his television
persona.

He wasn't sure how effective that training would be. "What you see is
what you get," he said.

Thompson, who estimated he'll need to raise about a million dollars
to run for governor, didn't hold any fund-raisers in Washington. On
return to Wisconsin, however, he said he would continue holding three
to four small fund-raisers each week around the state. Sometimes he
only raises about $2,000 at these dinners, which isn't much compared
to his brother's fund-raising performance as governor.

"I get $20 a plate," Ed Thompson said, laughing. "Tommy gets $1,000 a plate."