The state Legislature's Joint Finance Committee wants to bring home Wisconsinites who are imprisoned in other states. There are about 3,000 of them, separated from their families by hundreds or thousands of miles, and while we have them stored in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Minnesota, prisons and jail cells stand empty in Wisconsin. This bizarre and inhumane fiasco started in the mid-90s, when tough-on-crime initiatives overtook our prison capacity. The prison population grew from 7,000 in 1990 to 20,447 in 2000. In 1996, we began sending medium and minimum-security prisoners out of state. [continues 401 words]
DULUTH, Minn. - I have served four years of an 8 1/2-year sentence in a federal prison camp for nonviolent offenders in Duluth, Minn. With good time and programs, I am eligible for release in about two years. My crime was drug conspiracy, for transporting drugs. It has come to my attention that a proposal for a halfway house in Green Bay is being considered. A halfway house in Green Bay would allow me to reestablish family ties and find stable employment for my successful re-integration into society. For me, and many other federal inmates like me, going to the halfway house in Milwaukee serves little or no purpose. Therefore, I feel a halfway house in the Green Bay area is vital. [continues 78 words]
On May 8, North Central Health Care sponsored its fifth annual Alcohol and Drug Awareness Day. It was a huge success with approximately 1,000 junior and senior high students - and even a few adults - attending. The students were able to visit 30 display booths to learn about the effects of chemical abuse and discover alternative free-time activities. They were able to experience what it feels like to be under the influence by doing activities while wearing intoxication and hallucinogenic glasses plus other hands-on activities. In addition, they were given the opportunity to hear from people firsthand what happens as a result of abusing chemicals and tobacco. [continues 155 words]
Last fall, a friend who is a constituent of Congressman David Obey shared a reply he received from Obey to an inquiry asking his position on medical marijuana, in which Obey stated his support for legalizing it and mentioned the bipartisan States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act, which would allow states to set their own policies and allow physicians to prescribe it if allowed by the individual state. Despite his professed support, Obey failed to cosponsor that bill, HR 2592, and this session, with the same bill reintroduced as HR 2233, Obey has still not become a cosponsor. [continues 143 words]
The Freeman editorial, "Bill missing death clause" (June 3), raised some good points regarding provisions of Assembly Bill 67 that would allow doctors to disregard patients' wishes and refuse to pull the plug on life support or decline to continue with nutrition and hydration, even if they have signed a do not resuscitate order. While ailing Wisconsinites who have lost hope certainly deserve the option of choosing when to end their lives, the state Legislature could take another step that might help ease these patients' suffering before it gets to the point of having to consider pulling the plug, by passing a medical marijuana bill. [continues 61 words]
The most remarkable thing about Alberta Spruill's death may be that so few people outside of New York have heard anything about what happened to her. The 57-year-old woman was literally scared to death last month - by cops. She died shortly after police in the Big Apple smashed in her apartment door and threw a concussion grenade inside the Harlem residence, which they mistakenly thought was a hiding place for illegal drugs and guns. Two hours later, Spruill was dead of a heart attack. [continues 603 words]
MOUNT PLEASANT - The war on drugs is a war on people of color, officials from the Drug Policy Alliance said Friday. The Alliance's conference, held at the Racine Marriott Hotel, brought together leaders from communities most affected by drug law enforcement to understand the war's impact on communities of color. The organization is based in New York and works to reform drug laws. "We're going to look at the history of drug prohibition in the U.S. How drug policy fits in with race and class, with addiction and treatment, with crime and punishment and how the criminal justice system deals addiction," said Deborah Small, director of public policy and community outreach for the Alliance. [continues 165 words]
I saw a TV report on a new hallucinogenic agent called Salvia that kids are taking. What exactly is it? Media reports about Salvia (Salvia divinorum), also called Diviner's Sage, may be news to many of us, but this herb has been used for centuries in some cultures. Salvia seems to have its origins in Oaxaca, Mexico, where the Mazatec Indians used it to induce "visions" in religious ceremonies. It is said that the Mazatecs believe the herb is an incarnation of the Virgin Mary. [continues 369 words]
BOSCOBEL - Regarding Dennis Nagan's May 15 Forum letter: As a blind-sheep taxpayer, he can only be furious with himself about old Supermax (now Wisconsin Secure Program Facility), the air conditioning, recreation yard and the $57,000 per inmate per year. It was his choice to build this place. Now he must suffer the onus of that choice. I wonder if he is aware he also paid our settlement attorney fees of $75,000? I wonder, too, if he's aware he paid for our $100,000 computer law library? Inmates filed 490 lawsuits last year - about $7 million litigation costs to taxpayers. [continues 94 words]
Force targeted local drug dealers, put a dent in drug trafficking MONTELLO - When Sheriff Ray "Rick" Fullmer asked members of the Marquette County Board for 10 grand last year for a special project, they agreed without question. Board members didn't need to quiz Fullmer about what he planned to do with the money, said Don Wilson, a member of the county's public safety committee. "He has a well-run department. The committee allows the sheriff to do what he has to do to get things done," Wilson said. [continues 457 words]
I am responding to Bruce Rideout and Dave Michon. I am a corrections officer like Jeff DeVries. Both writers felt too many "non-violent" drug offenders are being incarcerated. Mr. Rideout wrote, "Marijuana consumers are your neighbors, your friends...." Sorry, Bruce, you're wrong. My friends don't get stoned. We don't abuse drugs. We don't condone illegal drug use. Pot is illegal in Wisconsin, and no matter how you rationalize your feelings or activities, smoking dope is wrong. Period. [continues 231 words]
Are rave parties being pushed in La Crosse? Mary Smith thinks so, and as a mother of a teenage son, she's not about to take it. Smith, not her real name, says she confiscated a flier from her son a few weeks ago that advertised "Free To Be You & Me." It touted itself as a techno concert to occur May 17 at an undisclosed location in La Crosse. Then it listed a phone number to be called on the day of the event "for further instructions and details." [continues 1168 words]
Dennis Kucinich, the one-time "boy mayor" of Cleveland, arrived in Madison Saturday night to proclaim himself the most progressive of the Democratic candidates for president. The state has suddenly become critical to candidates because of a new state law that moved up Wisconsin's presidential primary from April to Feb. 17. Kucinich, a Democratic congressman from Ohio, is the first of five Democratic hopefuls expected to visit the state within the next few weeks, and he left no doubt of his views. [continues 200 words]
DARE Funding Decision on Hold for Now School, City Budgets Unclear Until Late Summer WAUKESHA - City officials will wait, at least until the end of summer, to decide their future role in paying for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. "It is very early and too premature to make any official action on DARE," Mayor Carol Lombardi said Tuesday at the city's finance committee meeting. Committee members unanimously decided to table any action on financing the program until the city and Waukesha School District budgets for next year are more clearly understood. [continues 336 words]
BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis. - A Memorial Day weekend drug enforcement operation in Jackson County resulted in drug-related charges for occupants in 42 of 62 vehicles stopped outside of Black River Falls, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department. Advertisement During the enforcement action Friday and Saturday, sheriff's deputies stopped 62 motorists for traffic infractions. While the vehicles were stopped, a drug dog was walked around the vehicle. If the dog indicated drugs were in the vehicle, deputies searched for drugs. [continues 208 words]
While our state government cuts and eliminates services that benefit our communities, District Attorney Brian Blanchard is pursuing marijuana cases. This is a terrible waste of resources. "This Is My Medicine" (4/24/03) discusses one such case against Steve Wessing. Whether or not Mr. Wessing is using marijuana for medical reasons, or if he has two ounces or a closet full, has very little (if any) effect on the rest of the community. In fact, there are many people in Madison like Mr. Wessing who use marijuana. Why does this matter? Jim Allard [end]
Yes, Virginia, in Madison even a misdemeanor pot bust can get you evicted Don Helley does not come across as a dangerous fellow. The 50-year-old Madison resident is a well-known local figure who works at a fruit stand on Library Mall and was featured in a documentary about State Street. In 1991, he placed third in a crowded primary for Madison mayor, behind Paul Soglin and Rich Bogovich. But Helley was just evicted from his apartment in the 1300 block of Jenifer Street by Common Wealth Development Inc., one of Madison's premier do-good housing groups, for "illegal drug use," presumably stemming from his recent misdemeanor conviction for marijuana possession. [continues 475 words]
I am responding to Jeff DeVries who wrote about his job as a prison guard at Fox Lake Correctional Institution. Mr. DeVries is correct that prison guards are no different than anyone else. They have families, jobs, futures. He is correct that guarding violent criminals is a dangerous job. But a large proportion of inmates he guards are not violent. And contrary to Mr. DeVries contention that "no one is incarcerated for being a nice guy," many non-violent drug offenders are, in fact, nice guys - as nice as I am sure Jeff is. [continues 207 words]
The decision by Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard's office to file a motion to ban a medical defense to local medical marijuana patient Steve Wessing's marijuana charges, terming such a defense "irrelevant", makes it appear Blanchard also considers the opinions of the Dane County voters who elected him irrelevant. Since a February 2002 Chamberlain Research poll found that nearly 92% of Dane County residents support giving patients like Wessing legal access to medical marijuana, it would seem that Blanchard's office is seriously out of touch with the prevailing community sentiment. Dane County voters chose Blanchard to reflect that sentiment, not to be a local version of U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. Gary Storck [end]
Steve Wessing should not be claiming marijuana is his medicine. He should be claiming marijuana is safe to use under medical supervision and that marijuana is property protected from unreasonable seizure. Marijuana is property. The right to acquire and possess property is a fundamental right, protected by the Fourth, Fifth and 14th Amendments. Being arrested for violating the marijuana laws is deprivation of liberty. The right to liberty is a fundamental right. For some reason, the lawyers and judges are blind to the fact that enforcement of the marijuana laws violates basic fundamental rights to life, liberty and property. Michael J. Dee Windham, Maine [end]
The Drug Policy Alliance is a national organization in New York and Washington, D.C., that works to promote drug policies based on common sense, science, public health and human rights. DEBORAH PETERSON SMALL is director of public policy and community outreach for the alliance. A native New Yorker, Small believes that many of the nation's drug laws have had a discriminatory impact on minority communities, and her organization is working to reform laws that warehouse non-violent drug offenders in prison instead of getting them into drug treatment. Small is a graduate of the City College of New York and Harvard Law School. Before assuming her current position at the Drug Policy Alliance, she was legislative director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. Small is helping to organize a regional conference on reforming drug laws, which is June 6 and 7 at the Racine Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, 7111 W. Washington Ave. The "Breaking the Chains" conference is being sponsored by WISDOM, a statewide interfaith organization of 125 congregations. Small talked with Journal Sentinel urban affairs reporter Leonard Sykes Jr. while in Milwaukee.] [continues 611 words]
AG Plugs $1.3m Into Fight Against Meth Production APPLETON -- Wisconsin Atty. Gen. Peg Lautenschlager unveiled a new initiative Friday designed to better coordinate efforts to shut down methamphetamine labs. Lautenschlager said she will redirect a $1.3 million U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration grant to train and certify local authorities in the fight against methamphetamine, and she said she also will create a special office within the state's Division of Criminal Investigation. Methamphetamine - also called crank, speed, ice and crystal - is a drug made in home or portable labs from common substances, some of which are volatile and classified as hazardous materials. Because of the danger of chemicals in labs, fire departments and hazardous materials teams are routinely called to assist when police raid the labs. [continues 340 words]
I must respond to the recent article in The Post-Crescent headlined, "Air-conditioned cells could cost $700,000." It takes a lot to get me angry and most people who know me would tell you that I root for the underdog, but I was furious when I read the article. We are laying off teachers and other staff in our K-12 schools, universities and technical colleges. Yet a lawsuit filed by prisoners at the former "Supermax" prison in Boscobel complaining of "cruel and unusual punishment" and settled by ex-Gov. Scott McCallum will cost taxpayers $700,000 so the cells of these hard-nosed criminals will not exceed 84 degrees in a heat wave. Is 85 degrees "cruel and unusual" punishment for the "bad boys" that this prison was built to hold? Is it too warm for killers, rapists, drug dealers and repeat offenders? Well, excuuuuuuse me. [continues 140 words]
It's a good thing the Waukesha County Sheriff Department's drug-sniffing dog search of Butler Middle School turned up nothing. These days, school-based, zero-tolerance drug policies pose a greater threat to students than drugs. According to the "Monitoring the Future" survey, more than half of all high school seniors have tried an illicit drug. Denying a majority of the nation' s youth an education and the chance to grow up to become productive members of society is not in America's best interest. [continues 156 words]
One of my duties when I reported on criminal courts in Milwaukee County 10 years ago was checking search warrants to see where police had been nosing around for evidence. My recollection from reading these public records is that West Allis police spent a whole lot of time pawing through people's garbage to catch potheads. Other suburbs didn't seem to bother. I remembered that this week when reading the news article about Angela Talaska. West Allis cops, armed with an - oops - unsigned warrant, raided her house in search of drugs. An officer then had the warrant signed by a court commissioner after the search. [continues 528 words]
Corrections officer Jeff DeVries writes: "We are husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, single parents, neighbors, friends who are working to support ourselves and families, just like everyone else," etc. Well, Jeff, so are we. "We" are your fellow-citizens, as in "We the People" and "we" are languishing in your gulag, multitudes suffering the injustice of the Drug War so you'll just have to excuse us if we think the prison system, budget and payroll have become bloated. "We, the People" need good guards to keep us safe from predators but we don't need an army of guards to imprison people who victimize nobody but, perhaps, themselves. [continues 63 words]
The problems of drugs and addiction are not new. In fact, they have been around for many centuries, long before we had the Food and Drug Administration, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the American Medical Association or the multibillion-dollar-per-year industry of pharmaceuticals. However, even with these watchful and protective agencies, the problem of drug addiction appears to be worse than ever before, so much to the point that many people have gone into complete apathy over the subject of "the war on drugs." [continues 343 words]
GREENLEAF - I'd like to thank DARE Officer Kevin Vanden Heuvel for a job well done. Our oldest son is a new DARE graduate. I observed a group of classmates working together addressing hard issues - drugs, alcohol, peer pressure, violence. Officer Vanden Heuvel combined fun activities with exercises to make the participants think about future challenges. The program not only addresses the responsibility of the participants but also the support system the children need from the family as a whole. DARE inspired us to open the lines of communication regarding these topics. [continues 119 words]
Middle School Drug Search Turns Up Nothing Some Butler Students Bring Marijuana To School, Eighth-Grader Says Photo caption: Butler Middle School Assistant Principal Tim Poulson talks about how pleased he was that no drugs were found in the school following a search by the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department canine unit Wednesday morning. WAUKESHA - It was wheat - not weed - that Waukesha County sheriff's deputies found Wednesday during a drug search at Butler Middle School. A year-old sandwich was the only foul scent drug dogs picked up at the school. [continues 470 words]
As a member of the group that some politicians in Madison have chosen to balance the budget's red ink on, while stereotyping us into a group of "no goods," I feel compelled to explain who we truly are. We are corrections officers. We are husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, single parents, neighbors, friends who are working to support ourselves and families, just like everyone else. We are Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, Reformed, Presbyterian, old church and new church. We are hunters, fishers, bird watchers, tree huggers, hobby farmers, horse farmers, dog kennelers, cat lovers, and zoo- keepers. [continues 343 words]
Police: Jump Is Due To New Focus Arrest rates for drug and alcohol violations at UW-Madison skyrocketed in 2001, making the campus second among U.S. universities in alcohol arrests and third in drug arrests. The Chronicle of Higher Education compiled the drug and alcohol data using statistics from the U.S. Department of Education's campus crime report for 2001, the most recent year available. Nationwide, the number of drug arrests increased 5.5 percent, the 10th consecutive increase. Alcohol arrests rose 4.7 percent, the Chronicle reported. [continues 330 words]
A 9-Year-Old Daughter Allegedly Tried To Sell Marijuana At School. BELOIT (AP)- Authorities removed five children and charged a 23-year-old woman after one of her kids allegedly tried to sell marijuana at her elementary school. Misty Sharron Barron, of Beloit, was charged with child neglect, maintaining a drug trafficking place and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. She faces more than seven years in prison and $30,000 in fines if convicted. A criminal complaint said Barron's 9-year-old daughter was caught trying to sell marijuana Tuesday at a Beloit elementary school. She told police she took it from a bag she found under her mother's bed. [continues 180 words]
Real issues, imaginary correspondents: Here are letters to the editor that we wish we'd received: \ Outlaw school board: Good role modeling Talk about a loophole: The Riverview School Board in southeastern Wisconsin's Silver Lake says a state law requiring all schools to start after Sept. 1 has no penalty. So the board plans to defy the law. Board President Jim Burnett gets a political courage award for standing up to the tourism lobby and mandate-happy lawmakers by vowing to open local schools before Labor Day: "We're just going to do it," he said, adding drily: "The board is reasonably sure none of our children work in the Wisconsin Dells." [continues 475 words]
Signature came after drug raid; West Allis chief to investigate West Allis - Police Chief Dean Pushnig said Monday that he will investigate a West Allis woman's allegation that police executed a drug raid on her home without a valid search warrant, then tried to cover it up. Angela Talaska, 34, was arrested and accused of dealing marijuana after as many as 20 West Allis police officers raided her home May 5. But Officer Chad Evenson, who obtained the warrant, forgot to get it signed, then collected the signature after the raid without telling the court commissioner the bust had already occurred, Pushnig and the Milwaukee County district attorney's office said Monday. [continues 550 words]
Kudos to Dr. Melamede's marvelous letter detailing the government's incompetence and/or overriding agenda in the criminalization of marijuana. I write to take issue with only one aspect of that letter. While endocannabinoids may protect the brain from aging in most humans, there is anecdotal evidence that John Ashcroft's brain is not being protected from damage as he ages by his endocannabinoids. This may explain the government's incompetence if not its overriding agenda. Thomas J. Hillgardner Jamaica, New York [end]
MADISON - Far be it for me to criticize an organization like the Rotary Club of Green Bay over its choice of speakers at their events. But when they invite Bill Bennett, whose record as U.S. Secretary of Education and drug czar hardly qualifies him as either patriotic or moral, I have to question their criteria. At the helm of our largely failed and unconstitutional federal education department, he forced a rigid and harmful agenda on the children of America, which has made the United States the embarrassment of the world. And his gestapo approach to drug policy has made America a gulag populated with hundreds of thousands of nonviolent drug offenders. Not to be deterred, he managed to spread this barbarism to other nations. [continues 80 words]
Regarding the two letters saluting nurses and noting that May 6-12 is National Nurses Week, "Nurses assure public health" and "Thank nurses for their care" (May 6), I would like to take a moment to offer my thanks and appreciation to the nursing profession and state nurses organizations. In 1999, both the Wisconsin Nurses Association (WNA) and the Wisconsin Public Health Association (WPHA) passed resolutions supporting giving patients legal access to medical marijuana and both urging, "the Governor of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Legislature to move expeditiously to make cannabis available as a legally prescribed medicine where shown to be safe and effective." [continues 171 words]
GREEN BAY - I'm responding to Matt LeBeau's May 4 Forum letter, "DARE message falls on deaf ears." I'd like to clear up some misunderstandings about the program. DARE puts a uniformed police officer in front of young students, to act as a positive role model and teach healthy life choices. I believe DARE officers have played an important role in reducing the drug-abuse problem by getting young students to think about these topics before they face them in middle school. [continues 127 words]
GREEN BAY - I was greatly intrigued upon reading that a Brown County officer was selected as Wisconsin's DARE Officer of the Year. Ironically, this comes just days after the Press-Gazette's news partner, WFRV-TV, reported that a new study shows DARE isn't as successful as previously thought. The DARE program doesn't take into account that kids are just plain curious. Someday they will expose themselves to people who use drugs or have used drugs in the past. When adolescents get into trouble with drugs, quite frankly, the DARE program won't be there for them because of the misinformation presented. At the high school level, students need to hear the pitfalls associated with long-term drug addiction from former junkies - not some sugarcoated "Drugs are bad," or "You shouldn't do drugs" type of message. Matt LeBeau [end]
The federal government appears to be unable to get sound scientific advice from the peer-reviewed professional literature regarding medical marijuana. I am concerned. I see two choices. They are incompetent or they have an agenda that overrides their concern for suffering citizens. All aspects of our health are regulated by the marijuana-like compounds known as endocannabinoids. Every time Ashcroft gets hungry his body makes endocannabinoids that give him the munchies. If he had a stroke, or simply as he ages, they help protect his brain from damage. If he had a heart attack, they would help repair his heart. They protect him from pain. They protect him from immune disorders. If he is lucky enough to get by with what his body produces, why does he deny those who need more, what he uses every day? Dr. Robert J. Melamede Chairman, Biology Department, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colo. [end]
Editor: Regarding Ann Ruesch's letter saluting nurses and a week set aside to honor them, National Nurses Week celebrated May 6-12 (Marshfield News-Herald, May 1), I would like to take a moment to offer my thanks and appreciation to the nursing profession and state nurses organizations. In 1999, the Wisconsin Nurses Association (WNA) passed a resolution supporting giving patients legal access to medical marijuana and urging, "the Governor of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Legislature to move expeditiously to make cannabis available as a legally prescribed medicine where shown to be safe and effective." When Wisconsin lawmakers introduced a medical marijuana bill in late 2001, the WNA issued a press release stating "It is the position of the WNA that advocacy for this issue needs to occur, and that it is difficult for RN's to remain silent while seriously ill patients are denied access to an effective medical treatment." [continues 101 words]
RACINE -- Just over 13 months into an 18-month prison sentence for being a party to selling marijuana, Paul Velasquez filled out the required forms to ask Judge Stephen Simanek to reduce his sentence. His reason: He had a good prison record, he finished a domestic violence program, he's been taking culinary classes through Gateway Technical College. Velasquez felt like he was turning his life around. More than two months later, on April 30, Simanek denied the request. His reason: The district attorney objected. [continues 920 words]
Saturday marks the "Global March for Cannabis Liberation," which local organizer Ben Masel describes as a series of protests against the "war on drugs" in 170 cities on six continents. Four of these events will take place in Wisconsin: In Madison, demonstrators will gather at the State Street steps of the Capitol after 11 a.m., join the "Voices for Peace" parade down State Street, then move to the 500 block of West Mifflin Street for the annual block party. In Cross Plains at 3 p.m., participants in the "Great Beer Parade" will re-enact the local celebration at the end of Alcohol Prohibition in 1933, with a banner reading "Prohibition: Didn't work then (Martini glass); doesn't work now(marijuana leaf)." [continues 87 words]
Usually, Brown County Sheriff's deputy Kevin Vanden Heuvel is the one throwing the party. He holds graduation ceremonies, complete with treats and decorations, for students who complete DARE training - Drug Abuse Resistance Education. But Monday, fifth-graders at Lincoln Elementary in Green Bay turned the tables. The officer was greeted around 1:45 p.m. with balloons, squealing party horns and bear hugs. Vanden Heuvel learned Friday he was named Wisconsin's 2002 DARE Officer of the Year. On Monday, some of his students wanted to celebrate with him. [continues 240 words]
Although similar numbers of African Americans and whites are sentenced in Dane County to serve prison terms each year, Dane County's overwhelmingly white population causes a disproportionate ratio of African Americans admitted to prison compared to whites, according to a pair of UW professors. UW Sociology Professor Pamela Oliver said in 1999 a total of 86 African Americans and 67 whites sentenced in Dane County were admitted to prison, but compared with their respective populations in the county, the ratio of African Americans sentenced to prison compared to whites was 33 to 1. [continues 552 words]
There is a dangerous force lurking in the forgotten corners of our nation's political shadows. It occasionally shows its head. More often, it's content to hangout on AOL Instant Messenger or plan its duct-tape garb for the prom. But it's still there, and I think it's ready to re-emerge. In 1992, a relatively unknown governor from Arkansas swept to two terms in the White House and taught the nation more than it needed to know about independent counsels. A significant part in Bill Clinton's rise to power was young voters. [continues 787 words]
In his letter, "A new approach" (April 8), Earl O. Christianson claims that Gov. Doyle is proposing major modifications to the state's incarceration binge that would help balance the budget. The reality is Doyle's proposals are just a baby step, and do little to help balance the budget. Worse, the small size of Doyle's proposals mean that the University of Wisconsin system will be taking a major hit that could seriously impact its educational mission. For far too long, Wisconsin lawmakers and former Governors Thompson and McCallum were content to put politics ahead of common sense by ratcheting up drug penalties. But, ordinary otherwise law-abiding adults who indulge in a little pot now and then are not criminals, and putting them in jail with real criminals changes them forever. Substance use and abuse is best handled as a public health problem. [continues 110 words]
But DA's Office Says Man's Pot Use Is A Crime, Plain And Simple During last fall's campaign for Dane County District Attorney, Brian Blanchard told a forum his office "doesn't target marijuana use as a criminal event." Stephanie Rearick of Progressive Dane's drug policy task force adds that, in discussions with her, he gave "qualified support" for the concept of letting people use medical marijuana. You couldn't prove it by Steve Wessing. Wessing, 41, is facing two misdemeanor criminal charges as the result of being busted last October with a half-pound of pot and 30 grams of hashish. His Madison home was raided after Customs Agents allegedly intercepted more than a dozen packages of hash addressed to him from Amsterdam, which he had visited. [continues 937 words]
The Government's New RAVE Act Could Put Many Innocent People Out Of Business Milwaukee club owners may soon be responsible for more than managing long lines at the door. A revised version of last year's highly publicized Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy (RAVE) Act was approved on April 10 by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Now dubbed the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) tacked it on as an amendment to the proposed National AMBER Alert Network Act of 2003, which deals with child abduction laws, not drug policies. [continues 704 words]
After State Street head shops cleaned out their pipe selection to avoid prosecution for selling "drug paraphernalia," Freedom skate and head shop closed down Friday and moved across the street to join Knuckleheads Tobacco and Gifts. Corporate president Steve Agee said the consolidation was not a difficult decision because the same corporation owns Freedom and Knuckleheads. "It was a corporate secret, so we could have something on either side of Pipefitter's," Agee said. He said Freedom would not have survived through the winter because most of the store's winter revenue came from pipe sales. [continues 344 words]
Inside Wisconsin
