MEDICINAL MARIJUANA NEEDED

This is in regard to your Dec. 12 article, "Lawmakers introduce
medical marijuana bill,"

The announcement by Democratic Reps. Mark Pocan and Frank Boyle, with
the backing of Republican Rep. Rick Skindrud and the endorsement of
Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Ed Thompson marked what has become
a very rare event in Wisconsin politics -- politicians working
together to do something that would genuinely benefit some of the
state's most vulnerable people.

What is needed now is a Senate co-sponsor and the cooperation of
Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen in making sure the bill gets a fair
hearing. While Jensen aide Steve Baas claims this legislation has
little popular support, the fact is decades of polling have
consistently found at least 65 to 75 percent of Americans support
legalizing medical marijuana. Indeed, there are actually few issues
that command this much popular support.

For those who think the time has come to stop making criminals out of
our sick and dying neighbors, it is time to act. Contact Gov.
McCallum, your state representatives and Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen
and ask for their support in getting this long overdue legislation
passed.

As Is My Medicine Legal YET? (IMMLY) founder Jacki Rickert testified
at an Assembly hearing on medical marijuana last April, "I am begging
you ladies and gentlemen to be open-minded. Just think about it.
Tomorrow it could be you, your children, your parents, you never know.
You could get a disease, a syndrome, you could get hit by a car,
anything. And when it happens you hope there is something out there
that's going to help you."

Please act now. You can reach the governor at (608) 266-1212, and contact
your legislators through the toll-free Legislative Hotline: (800) 362-9472.

GARY STORCK, Director of Communications, Is My Medicine Legal Yet?, Madison