WILL WISCONSIN LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA?

Senate and Assembly Consider Bill This Month

Linda Moon felt crippled by medications prescribed for her by doctors.

"For three years, I laid in bed. I was almost comatose, and couldn't
move," she said.

One day, the 50-year-old Fond du Lac woman threw away 25 different
kinds of pills and turned to marijuana to treat chronic conditions
that had left her disabled.

"I was able to get food in my system. I could get out of bed and I
had a personality again," Moon said.

She is among the supporters of a state medical marijuana bill
co-sponsored by state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Sen. Jon
Erpenbach, D-Waunakee. If the legislation passes and is signed into
law, a person with a prescription from a doctor could obtain up to
three ounces of marijuana from a licensed dispensary or grow up to 12
plants at home.

The Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act would cover people with
cancer, AIDS, Crohn's disease, Hepatitis C, Alzheimer's disease,
post-traumatic stress disorder and other diseases that could be
labeled serious medical conditions.

In October, the Obama administration announced that the federal
government will not prosecute users or distributors of medicinal
marijuana as long as they follow state laws. The announcement is the
latest part of a trend that has seen several states, including
Minnesota, take an increased interest in the issue.

Currently, 13 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use.

Personal Stories

Teresa Shepherd of Jackson chairs the community outreach committee
for the new Milwaukee chapter of NORML, the National Organization for
the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

A gymnast and martial artist, the 34-year-old suffers from
fibromyalgia, degenerative disc disease and arthritis.

"The medications I was given made me sicker than I was," said
Shepherd, mentioning Vicodin and Lyrica. "I have been unable to work
for over a year now. I didn't think there was any hope."

Marijuana use put her back on her feet, with no side effects.

"The people coming forward - they aren't just trying to get high,"
Shepherd said. "These are intelligent people who do not want to live
on disability."

Shepherd said she goes through about an ounce and a half each month,
obtained through people she most likely would not talk to otherwise
in the black market.

"I'm coming forward for every fibromyalgia patient out there. I'm
tired of the suffering," she said.

Jeffrey Smith of Brillion was paralyzed from the chest down 20 years
ago and lives in constant pain.

The drugs prescribed for him - Baclofen and Gabapentin - had ill
effects and their dosages were life threatening, he said.

"The Gabapentin didn't stop the pain so much as it gave me a
'chemical lobotomy,' made me too spaced out to speak. On the other
hand, the use of cannabis hemp as a medicinal treatment has given me
a greatly improved living quality. I can once again compose music,
perform it and even write for two online magazines. It has given me a
life that patented medication surely took away," he said.

Pros and Cons

Dr. Steve Harvey, anesthesiologist and board-certified pain physician
with Aurora Health Care in Fond du Lac and Sheboygan, sees medical
marijuana as playing a significant role in treating debilitating
conditions caused by cancer and chronic pain.

"I think in the case of patients with nerve pain, shingles or
post-shingle pain, with pain that radiates down the leg or arms, or
herniated discs, it has a direct analgesic effect," Harvey said.

Particularly useful, he said, is marijuana's demonstrated anti-nausea
effects on cancer patients.

"There are forms of cannabis available outside of smoking it. Any
arrow in the quiver that is available to us can be very useful and I
think that is being demonstrated in other parts of the country.
Frankly, I don't have a problem with it," he said.

Marijuana opponent and Fond du Lac psychiatrist Dr. Darold Treffert
says the push for medical marijuana is misdirected, unnecessary and
holds great risk.

"I have treated patients with AODA problems, including marijuana, for
over 40 years. And marijuana is not harmless. Whatever the benefits,
if any, of making medical marijuana available by prescription are far
outweighed by the risks of how easily in other states it has led to
'sham clinics' with mass diversion to street use," he said.

In Michigan, which recently made medical marijuana available, there
are 1,000 new applications per month from patients and growers, and a
"cannabis college" has been established to teach students how to grow
the plants most effectively. In dispensaries, the marijuana often has
rather exotic, non-medicinal-sounding names.

"I sympathize, and do have compassion, for patients experiencing long
term pain or other intractable problems. But the risks of diversion
and all its attendant problems far outweigh the benefits of making
medical marijuana (smoked) readily available, and there are other
alternatives available for such circumstances without those risks,"
Treffert said. "Research is under way to synthesize THC or other
cannabinols that can be delivered in standardized doses in a
conventional manner. I support that research. It is simply a more
sensible and less dangerous way to proceed."

Agnesian HealthCare was unable to provide a physician that would
discuss the use of medical marijuana.

More Views

State Rep. John Townsend said he opposes any marijuana use, and would
vote against the bill.

"Under federal law, it is an illegal substance, and there may by some
problems with that. Some state statutes allow medical marijuana, but
my question is whether it is really being used for medical purposes -
or is it recreational? And who is regulating this use? I've been in
contact with the local medical community, and they are not in favor
of it," he said.

Disabled veteran Steve Passehl of Wittenberg broke three vertebrae
during the Gulf War and has undergone 13 surgeries.

"Marijuana helps with spasms from my paralysis and neck injury. It
helps me deal with chronic pain, fights my depression, and gets me to
eat," he said.

According to a story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, House and
Senate Bills (AB 554 and SB 368) define how many people can be cared
for and place caps on the amount of marijuana that can be available
in compassion centers, as well as allowing production and
distribution facilities.

Previous bills in Wisconsin relating to the topic failed despite
occasional bi-partisan support.

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WHAT'S NEXT

A hearing on the medical marijuana bill is set for Dec. 15 in front
of the Senate and Assembly health committees. Written testimony can
be e-mailed to Kelly.Johnson@legis.wisconsin.gov in state Sen. Jon
Erpenbach's office. The mailing address is Room 8 South, State
Capitol, P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882. Erpenbach's office
will make all submitted written testimony available to all members of
both committees.

The complete bill can be read at www.legis.state.wi.us/2009/data/AB-554.pdf