STUDY: WISCONSIN SUPPORT HIGH FOR SERIOUSLY ILL'S USE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Seriously or terminally ill patients who wish to alleviate their
suffering with medical marijuana have the support of 80.3 percent of Wisconsin
residents, according to a survey released Tuesday.

The Wisconsin Trends 35 survey asked respondents if they favored "the
Wisconsin state Legislature passing a law to allow seriously ill or
terminally ill patients to use marijuana for medical purposes, if
supported by their physician."

According to the survey, the Madison area contained the highest
percentage of supporters, with 91.7 percent. The lowest percentage of
supporters, 70.7 percent, came from the northwestern region of Wisconsin.

The study was conducted by the Chamberlain Research Consultants and
sponsored in part by the group "Is My Medicine Legal YET?"

IMMLY Director of Communications Gary Storck said his organization was
pleasantly surprised when they found out about the results of the survey.

"Most polls that have been done in the past were 65-75 percent [in
support]. We were expecting something in that range. To find out it's
over 80 percent, we were just elated," he said.

However, some people doubt the validity of the study due to the fact
that it was sponsored by multiple pro-legalization groups and because
it only contained a single question related to legalizing marijuana.

"Supporters have immediately seized it to say 'look it shows
overwhelming support,'" said University of Wisconsin-Madison political
science Professor Charles Franklin. "It [actually] shows overwhelming
support for this question."

According to Franklin the question's wording could have manipulated
the respondents' emotions and affected their answers.

"We [get] the image of people who are basically lying in a hospital
bed dying. What does it matter if you let them take some marijuana to
alleviate their suffering?" he said.

Whether or not the poll does in fact suggest strong public support for
legalizing medical marijuana, it will have no effect on a bill that is
currently sitting in the state Assembly's Criminal Justice Committee,
according to several legislators.

State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said Assembly Bill 715, which would
legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin, will not be considered by the
Assembly during this session. Pocan said only bills that have passed
in one house or the other will be debated before the legislative
session ends in May.

Mary Lou Keleher, a spokesperson for state Rep. Frank Boyle, D-Summit,
said Boyle will introduce another medicinal marijuana bill during the
next session if he is re-elected.

"A lot of legislators are afraid to touch it because they're going to
be accused of promoting drug use," she said.