The approval of a marijuana derivative to ease seizure disorders in children came surprisingly fast in the state Legislature this spring, but sadly not soon enough for 7-year-old Lydia Schaeffer. Lydia died in her sleep Sunday at home in Burlington before she had a chance to try the treatment that her mother, Sally Schaeffer, fought so hard to legalize in Wisconsin. "I kept thinking to myself we've just got to buy Lydia some time, we've just got to buy her some time. And I guess we didn't buy enough," Sally said Tuesday. [continues 789 words]
Regarding Chris Rickert's Sunday column, "Why have two drugs to abuse?," the days when politicians can get away with confusing the drug war's tremendous collateral damage with a comparatively harmless plant are coming to an end. If the goal is to deter use, marijuana prohibition is a catastrophic failure. The United States has almost double the rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands where marijuana is legal, according to a 2008 World Health Organization survey. The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis has no basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a failed cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public health campaign. Not just in Colorado but throughout the nation, it's time to stop the pointless arrests and instead tax legal marijuana. - -- Robert Sharpe, Washington, D.C., policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy [end]
Wearing a helmet and clipped onto rappelling lines, 22-year-old Alina Maki-Guzlecki teetered on the edge of a high-rise hotel in downtown Milwaukee. She turned her back to the ground and inched to the edge before rappelling down 20 stories to the base of the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee on Kilbourn Ave. "Exhaustion, I'm not going to lie," she said of how she felt reaching the bottom. "It was pretty nerve-wracking, but it was exciting." She joined more than 50 people on Tuesday who rappelled down the hotel's exterior. The event was a fundraiser for Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for addiction treatment and tries to end the stigma of addiction. [continues 496 words]
Deputy DA shares story of her cousin's heroin death RACINE - Deputy Racine County District Attorney Tricia Hanson is used to talking about the dangerous effects of heroin. As a prosecutor with the county, she is fully aware of the consequences of abusing the drug, and of resources available to help with addiction. But, "it wasn't enough to save my own cousin," Hanson said Monday at a heroin summit Monday at Gilmore Middle School, 2330 Northwestern Ave., which was organized by the Racine County Sheriff's Office. [continues 423 words]
Legalize pot in Wisconsin? Sure, as long as it isn't sold as any more of a "medicine" than the most popular legal high (alcohol). In the area of government-sanctioned inebriation, what's fair should be fair. Besides, pot advocates have had some decent reasons for saying theirs is the safer buzz. And then I read about a man in Colorado - where marijuana is already legal - who reportedly shot his wife after eating too much pot-laced candy. Another man ate too many marijuana-infused cookies and jumped off a hotel balcony to his death. [continues 691 words]
MARSHFIELD - Marijuana use could increase heart attack risk, according to a study with input from local doctors published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association. "Most people think marijuana is safe to use ... even some doctors, but it was found that it can give you significant health problems," said Marshfield Clinic cardiologist Dr. Shereif Rezkalla, who wrote the editorial that accompanied the study. About 2 percent of marijuana-related health complications reported between 2006 and 2010 to the French Addictovigilance Network, which monitors drug abuse, were cardiovascular complications, including heart attacks and strokes. [continues 355 words]
WATERFORD - A group called iCare that formed last year in response to youth heroin deaths and suicides now wants to take the next step. One of iCare's major goals this year is to help start a support program in the Waterford area - called the Landing - for teen drug and alcohol abuse problems. Cindi Schweitzer, co-owner of Integrity Funeral Services, 29134 Evergreen Drive, Rochester, became a founding member of iCare and is its present chairwoman. She said iCare "started last year because we were burying children from overdoses. Families were just so broken, and it's like the community is paralyzed when that happens." [continues 380 words]
Dear Editor: It was good to see Gov. Scott Walker sign legislation legalizing a form of medical marijuana to treat pediatric seizure disorders. However, Walker's signature does not mean that the children, whose stories moved usually stern lawmakers to tears, will see their medicine anytime soon. According to Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, under the law, multiple federal agencies will have to give their approval - "a process that typically takes several years." Given Walker's rejection of billions in federal aid for high-speed rail and Medicaid, why is he now deferring to federal regulators to make critical decisions regarding the health of state children? [continues 166 words]
A bill recently signed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker aimed at addressing a frightening rise in heroin-related deaths prevents those who report another person's overdose from being prosecuted for drug possession. However, the person suffering from the overdose may still face jail time when they come to. Madison Police Officer Howard Payne, a department spokesman, says he believes most overdose cases result in criminal charges. "Officers investigate that matter as thoroughly as they can and arrive at a decision as to whether a charge is appropriate," he says. "At minimum it's a possession-level (offense)." [continues 350 words]
In 2013, 67 people died of a heroin-related overdoses in Milwaukee County - a 34% increase from the prior year, according to statistics released Monday. The number is an increase of more than 600% from 10 years ago when Milwaukee County recorded nine heroin-related overdose deaths, according to the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office. The medical examiner's office also hit a grim record last year with 216 drug overdose deaths reported in 2013 - the highest number ever and a 29% increase from 2012. [continues 239 words]
In 1971, President Nixon, declaring "War on Drugs," requested congress to pass and fund legislation titled "Drug Abuse Prevention and Control" for the "... prevention of new addicts and the rehabilitation of those addicted." Legislators, to "prevent new addicts," focused on stemming the flow of drugs." But now, 43 years and billions of dollars later, recent Journal Times articles demonstrate drugs continue to flow. A man (24) and two women (26 and 29) went to prison for committing crimes to support their addiction to heroin. Deputies confiscated 19 pounds of marijuana and over $30,000 worth of heroin during two traffic stops. [continues 160 words]
Before closing out the legislative session, the Legislature passed a bill that would legalize cannabidiol, a marijuana by-product, to treat seizures, sending the bill to Gov. Scott Walker's desk. It is certainly true that this bill would help people, specifically children, who have certain medical conditions. Regardless, the bill does not go far enough because it does not end Wisconsin's failed policy of marijuana prohibition. It is currently illegal to possess cannabidiol under Wisconsin law. This is because cannabidiol is a type of cannabinoid that is found in THC - one of the main chemical components of marijuana. [continues 485 words]
Dear Editor: While spring elections are often overlooked, this year Dane County voters will find something special on their ballots on April 1. Referendum #2, asking "Should the state government enact legislation legalizing marijuana?" will appear on all Dane County ballots. While Referendum #2 is advisory and changes no laws, it is a rare opportunity for voters to express their opinion on marijuana prohibition. Polling has found a majority of Americans now support repeal. Please support ending cannabis prohibition with your YES vote April 1 on Referendum #2! Gary Storck Madison [end]
Dane County voters have the opportunity April 1 to vote on the national debate over legalizing cannabis. Vote "yes" on Advisory Referendum 2, which asks, "Should the state government enact legislation legalizing marijuana?" While Wisconsin has some of the worst pot laws in the Midwest, 20 states now have legalized medical cannabis. And two of those, Colorado and Washington, tax and regulate adult use. Other states are also considering legalization. Polling has found majority support for cannabis legalization in 18 states and Washington, D.C. [continues 118 words]
What will change if cannabis prohibition is ended? People will no longer be arrested for it. Pretty much everything else will remain as is. You see, we've been sold a bill of goods about cannabis - starting with the plant's name. Political hacks used the Mexican "marijuana" in order to exploit prejudice against Latin Americans. We have a director of the DEA who cannot state the obvious; that cannabis is less harmful than heroin - because his hands have been tied. He didn't dodge the question because he doesn't know the answer. He is forced to dispense propaganda, no matter how ludicrous and/or divorced from reality. People wonder why law enforcement is so disrespected; incredibility leaches from the head down. [continues 54 words]
When newspapers present an editorial, they have a responsibility to inform their readers accurately. The Journal Times recently failed miserably, "Legalize CBD to treat epilepsy" (March 16). You seem to be confusing the medical cannabis strain from which the CBD hemp oil is being extracted, "Charlotte's Web", with the cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD). CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are two of almost a hundred therapeutically active cannabinoids and other compounds found in whole plant cannabis. These compounds like cannabis plants continue to be classified by federal authorities as Schedule One drugs with no medical uses and a high potential for abuse. [continues 170 words]
We recognize that Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican majority in both houses of the Legislature aren't rushing to join Colorado and Washington state in legalizing marijuana. Walker has said "I think it's a big jump between someone having a beer and smoking marijuana," and we recognize he's not alone among Wisconsinites in that point of view. In December, we advocated a wait-and-see approach, i.e., first watch how legalization plays out in those two states. [continues 625 words]
Lawmakers Like Rep. John Spiros Should Inform Themselves About Therapeutic Pot After more than 75 years of marijuana prohibition, questioning the reefer madness misinformation that has sustained it for so long has proven to be difficult for some. Take Rep. John Spiros, R-Marshfield, for example. Spiros, a former police officer, was so convinced by emotional committee testimony that a form of medical marijuana, cannabidiol or CBD, can help relieve seizures in children, that he helped vote the bill, Assembly Bill 726, out of committee in a bipartisan 7-1 vote. [continues 421 words]
Dear Editor: Gov. Scott Walker's opinionating on the safety of marijuana versus alcohol and embrace of the long-rejected gateway theory collides sharply with changing public attitudes towards pot ("Scott Walker: Big difference between having a beer and smoking marijuana"). While Wisconsinites may disagree politically, an overwhelming majority supports medical use and a thin-but-growing margin supports taxing and regulating adult use. Walker's "Reefer Madness" redux shows he is as out of touch on pot as he is on other social issues gaining majority support like gay marriage. Gary Storck Madison [end]
Inside Wisconsin
