BILL INTRODUCED TO LEGALIZE MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

Advocates of medicinal marijuana use were handed a victory Tuesday when
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Rep. Frank Boyle, D-Superior, introduced a
bill to allow marijuana use or medicinal purposes.

Patients with debilitating medical conditions and the permission of a
doctor would have access to medicinal marijuana if the bill passed.

Wisconsin is the first state to introduce a bill that would legalize
medicinal marijuana since the May ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that
distributors could not use "medical necessity" as a federal defense.

The bill is based on a law enacted by Hawaii's legislature in 2000 allowing
patients to grow, possess and use medicinal marijuana with physician
approval. The bill also allows nonprofit organizations to distribute
marijuana to patients who have been approved.

This is the first comprehensive bill on medicinal marijuana in Wisconsin.
The bill would allow authorized patients to use a medicinal-use defense to
protect themselves against marijuana-related prosecutions. To get
authorization, a patient would need a statement from a doctor verifying
they have a debilitating medical condition and the potential benefits would
outweigh the risks of smoking marijuana.

"This bill essentially allows for a legal defense when a patient has
written authorization," Pocan said. "There [are] strict criteria, and it's
about time we offered the most comprehensive health care with the most
options for people."

Pocan said national polls have shown over 70 percent of the population
agrees with the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes, and he
believes people in Wisconsin will be receptive to the legislation.

Jacki Rickert, founder of Is My Medicine Legal Yet (IMMLY), said legalizing
marijuana would alleviate fear in patients with long-term illnesses.

"It would definitely take a lot of the fear and terror out of people," said
Rickert, who uses the drug to help her cope with physical pain from
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Advanced Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. "I could
worry about making myself healthy and not have to worry about whether or
not our door is going to be rammed in."

Rickert said she is frequently asked about the effect of legalizing drugs
on the youth of America.

"I think it would definitely take an element of crime off the streets," she
said.

Not everyone agrees that legalization of marijuana is the best solution.
Several state representatives said they did not support legalizing
marijuana or any drug but had no specific comment regarding the bill. In
1999, the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM)
reported marijuana had therapeutic value and that there are some
circumstances where smoking marijuana would be beneficial. Rep. Garey Bies,
R-Sister Bay, said he needed specific evidence before voting for or against
the legislation. "I would like to see the medical evidence," Bies said. "I
would like to see some real evidence about what it would do, and I would
reserve judgment until I had the evidence." Bies noted there may be federal
laws that would withhold state funding if legislation legalizing marijuana
were passed. "These are things we would have to consider, and I am sure
that will come out," Bies said. Medicinal marijuana is legal in eight
states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and
Washington.