Despite a federal crackdown and an increase in the tenacity of anti-drug laws, some students believe there has not been a noticeable decrease in the amount of drugs dealt on the University of Wisconsin campus. "I don't think much has changed in the last few years," said Aaron Monroe of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy. Monroe's group advocates against a stipulation that was added to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid that restricts students with prior drug convictions from receiving financial assistance for college. [continues 412 words]
Underheim Says High Court Ruling May Pave Way OSHKOSH -- An Oshkosh lawmaker plans to draft legislation that could legalize medical marijuana use in Wisconsin. Gary Storck of Madison is overjoyed by the prospect. The lifelong glaucoma sufferer believes he would be blind today if it wasn't for his regular marijuana use. The drug releases tension on his eyes and it doesn't carry the harsh side effects of some legal medicines. There is one side effect, Storck said. Right now, he could be jailed for alleviating his pain. [continues 225 words]
Drug, Alcohol Busts Top City Crime statistics released by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh last month show the campus is a safer place than the city as a whole, though its students continue to outpace Oshkosh in per capita drug and alcohol offenses. UWO in September released its annual campus security report as required by the U.S. Department of Education. According the report, the university in 2002 had only 15 serious crimes considered reportable by the FBI, while recording 170 drug arrests and 395 alcohol-related arrests. [continues 500 words]
A Republican state representative says it's time to consider letting doctors prescribe marijuana for medicinal use after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday the federal government cannot punish doctors for recommending marijuana to their ill patients. The court's decision "leaves it up to individual states to determine the enforcement standards for (marijuana's) medicinal use," said Rep. Gregg Underheim, R-Oshkosh. Ten states have approved the use of medical marijuana for people with terminal of debilitating diseases. Underheim, chairman of the Assembly Health Committee, said he plans to introduce similar legislation and hold hearings to gauge the support for such a law in Wisconsin. "The therapeutic effects of marijuana are believed to help improve the quality of end-of-life situations by decreasing pain and nausea and stimulating appetite," Underheim said. [end]
Despite efforts from the White House and the Drug Enforcement Administration to rid America's cities of marijuana paraphernalia, a few of Madison's head shops continue to sell handcrafted glass pipes. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft ignited a nationwide crackdown on the selling of these items in stores and through Internet purchases in the early months of this year when he, in a news conference to announce his intentions, condemned the paraphernalia business as a billion-dollar industry that exploits youth culture. [continues 433 words]
Editor: Your editorial of Oct. 9, "Drug makers are killing golden goose," about pharmaceutical corporations trying to block the importation of lower-priced prescription drugs from Canada, raises other issues about Canadian medical care. An appeals court decision in Canada just found federal medical marijuana regulations unconstitutional because they forced people with serious illnesses to turn to the black market, in violation of their right to life, liberty and security of the person. The court made it easier for medical users to obtain a safe and reliable supply of the drug by allowing licensed growers to produce plants for more than one patient and also removed a requirement that patients need a second medical specialist to support their application. [continues 177 words]
WISCONSIN RAPIDS - Members of Crime Stoppers groups from across the state got an education Friday on the parties attended and the drugs used by area young people. Raves, all-night dance parties usually advertised as alcohol-free, and the drug ecstasy usually associated with the parties, have lured sexual predators to the scene, said Glen Stanley, an 18-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Stanley was Friday's keynote speaker at the Wisconsin State Crime Stoppers Annual Training Conference held in Wisconsin Rapids this weekend. [continues 500 words]
I've recently returned from the World Trade Organization protests in Mexico - - a place where you can get the advice rather than the permission of a doctor to buy things we here in the states called "prescription" medications. While this may be surprising, there were no stacks of bodies lying dead outside the pharmacies, no people twitching in the street as some might expect. Perhaps I was out in the sun a bit too long, but when I returned I was quite surprised to hear that Rush Limbaugh was about to become the latest casualty in our "war on drugs" - the focus of an investigation into the illegal purchase of prescription medications. Once the realization took hold that in this is a crime in the United States, the irony struck me: Here was the "poster child" for American conservativism - a man loved by people who believe we can't be trusted to make decisions about what to put into our own bodies - sitting directly in the sights of the war machine his loyal followers helped to create. [continues 153 words]
As in many cases, the media controls our lives each and every day. In the past few months, there have been many meth labs busted in the area! This is very concerning to many citizens! Why are there not more checks for certain chemicals before purchase? Secondly, why is the media showing pictures of chemicals found on site after the bust of these labs? Does this not help that person who couldn't figure out the last chemical to add to his potion? Does this give that 14- or 15-year-old child who is bored out of his or her mind something to think about and maybe pass their time along more quickly? It's a fast money-maker, and some just want the high! Why don't we just plaster the papers with the recipe for those who need to know? Thank you to the media for providing the need-to-know information. We can always rely on you for help! Whitehall [end]
I was the person that asked Howard Dean at his Madison rally if he could justify jailing patients who use marijuana for medical purposes. I was not a heckler, as your story characterized me. What I actually said was "Multiple sclerosis patients in England will have prescription marijuana (in the form of a sublingual spray) this year that MS patients here would be arrested for having." When Mr. Dean responded that his position on this issue "is a little complicated" I added "my wife died in June after battling multiple sclerosis for 32 years and marijuana was of great help to her." It was then that he decided to talk about medical marijuana for a couple of minutes. [continues 251 words]
Candidate: Flag not owned by Ashcroft, Limbaugh, Cheney Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean had one of those moments Sunday that give politicians pause whenever they consider visiting Madison. As the physician and former Vermont governor was turning from his pledge of universal health insurance for Americans to assail the nation's prison-building binge, he was interrupted by a heckler. The voice asked: Could Dean justify why the government is jailing patients who use marijuana for medical purposes? Dean told the crowd of about 5,000 outside the Kohl Center that his stance on the issue was "a little complicated," but "since you asked about it, I'll divert from my speech for one second." [continues 1146 words]
Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean revved up a crowd of mostly UW-Madison students on Sunday, telling the students they have the power to change their country just as young people did during the Vietnam War era. "You're not the foot soldiers of our campaign," Dean declared from an outdoor stage in front of the Kohl Center on campus before 3,000 to 5,000 people. "You're the drivers of our campaign. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." [continues 716 words]
Organizers estimated about 1,000 people assembled downtown Saturday for the Great Midwest Harvest Festival, an annual gathering of pro-marijuana activists. The day included a parade from Library Mall to the Capitol and speeches by many activists including Gary Storck, who has used marijuana for 31 years to ease his glaucoma, and Jacki Ricker, who suffers from nerve and muscle disorders. They and other speakers advocated the legalization of medical marijuana in Wisconsin. Although many attendees openly smoked joints in public during the festivities, police did not arrest anyone. [end]
It's not everyday one can walk down State Street and see up to 100 people march to the Capitol with some taking hits off of joints, others passing pipes and some chanting, "We smoke pot, and we like it a lot!" These people rallied together through speakers and music Saturday to support Harvest Fest's effort -- education about the legalization and effects of marijuana. "It's a chance to get out and meet like-minded people in the community," said Aaron Monroe, member of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. [continues 459 words]
MADISON (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean tried to attract younger voters Sunday with a rally and speech on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The former Vermont governor told a mostly college-aged crowd, which organizers estimated at 5,000, that the 2004 election would be about a transfer of power to their generation. "You are not the foot soldiers of our campaign, you are the drivers of our campaign," he said. Dean, one of 10 Democrats vying for the presidential nomination, is the primary's leading fund-raiser. An arm of his campaign called Generation Dean has enrolled college and high school students and young professionals in 650 chapters across the nation. [continues 414 words]
Regarding the North Fond du Lac meth lab threat story, why on earth do you support a ridiculous program like drug prohibition? Drug prohibition has nothing to do with protecting users from the effects of harmful drugs. It was initiated at the beginning of the 20th century to protect virtuous, white, Christian women from the seductive wiles of blacks (marijuana), Mexicans (marijuana) and Chinese (opium), and in these supposedly more tolerant times, the police are happy to make use of this evil law to harass and control all those whose lifestyle and/or skin color offends them. [continues 192 words]
A new program that will enable inmates to get out of prison early is raising concerns - particularly among judges - even before the cell doors are thrown open. [Quotable We have no information, nothing. We've been determining eligibility for a program that doesn't yet exist, and we have no idea what it will look like when it does. - - Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jean DiMotto] The earned release program amounted to a footnote in the budget bill signed by Gov. Jim Doyle in July. Some judges and prosecutors were not even immediately aware that there was a new law that can trim sentences for prisoners who receive intensive substance-abuse treatment. [continues 807 words]
Impaired drivers could face harsher penalties under two bills in the state Legislature that would allow prosecutors to level the playing field between drunken drivers and drivers who have taken illegal drugs. "This highlights the fact that Wisconsin does not have laws that allow officials to prosecute those who get behind the wheel high on illegal drugs," said state Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, who introduced the Assembly bill. "It doesn't make sense that drugged drivers receive a minimum sentence and drunk drivers receive a harsher punishment." The two bills, one in the Assembly and one in the Senate, prohibit drivers from having any detectable amount of a restricted controlled substance in their bodies, regardless of whether it impaired their ability to operate a vehicle. [continues 358 words]
The State of Wisconsin is facing a crisis: a prison-and-jail-overcrowding, taxpayers-spending-too-much-on-corrections, too-many-offenders-recommitting-crimes-after-release type of crisis. This crisis is the result of an unsatisfactory correctional system -a system that is not addressing and treating the core problem that drives many offenders into prison. Drug and alcohol addicted offenders are entering and re-entering prisons and jails, and will continue to do so until we stop this cycle. Currently, two-thirds of the 23,000 people in Wisconsin's prisons are made up of inmates who have drug or alcohol abuse problems. Wisconsin needs to provide "corrective" treatment while holding criminals accountable for their actions. [continues 378 words]
Rock County Judge John Lussow said Wednesday he decided to retire after learning he'd have at least one challenger for his bench seat. "After I was so sick, my family said, 'You shouldn't run again.' Now, with the idea of having a contested campaign, they're probably right," Lussow said. Janesville attorney Barbara McCrory announced earlier Wednesday that she is running for Lussow's seat. Lussow, 62, was off the bench for three months starting in April after suffering what he said was a life-threatening internal infection that affected his liver. [continues 397 words]
Two longtime Wisconsin medical marijuana activists are helping to spearhead a Washington D.C. memorial for a New Jersey multiple sclerosis patient and fellow medical marijuana activist who died of complications from the disease on June 7. Jacki Rickert from Mondovi and Gary Storck, of Madison, from the group, IMMLY (Is My Medicine Legal YET?) will be traveling to Washington to memorialize the late Cheryl Miller (www.cherylheart.org), and visit congressional offices with other medical marijuana patients and advocates September 22-23. [continues 304 words]
While U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft was touring the country, trying to convince Mr. and Ms. American Citizen that only terrorists need fear the USA Patriot Act, prosecutors were using the act on telemarketers and to charge a methamphetamine manufacturer with producing a chemical weapon. In one case prosecuted this year, investigators used a provision of the Patriot Act to recover $4.5 million from a group of telemarketers accused of tricking elderly U.S. citizens into thinking they had won the Canadian lottery. [continues 295 words]
Drugged drivers would join drunken drivers in the penalty box under a provision that advanced last week in the state Legislature. The Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees both endorsed the "Baby Luke Bill", a proposal that would make it easier to prosecute persons driving under the influence of drugs. The bill, sponsored by State Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, was prompted by the case of a Waukesha woman whose car was hit by a van in December, 2001. The woman, Michelle Logeman, was 30 weeks pregnant. She was seriously injured and her baby was delivered by emergency Caesarean section and died. [continues 384 words]
It Will Suggest What's Too Harsh Or Too Lenient Wisconsin is about to have a panel monitor implementation of the truth-in-sentencing law - four years after criminal justice leaders recommended one - and members will have their hands full in evaluating what is happening in courts. In creating sentencing guidelines, the commission is to tackle what has long been a touchy subject in Wisconsin's judicial system: how to suggest to judges what sentence is too harsh or too lenient. [continues 756 words]
Measure Makes It Easier To Prosecute Drivers Madison - Legislation toughening Wisconsin penalties on people who drive while on drugs won unanimous backing of the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. Called the "Baby Luke Bill," the measure was prompted by the case of Michelle Logemann, a Waukesha woman whose car was hit by a van driven by Paul D. Wilson. Prosecutors said Wilson ingested cocaine and ran a red light in Milwaukee in December 2001. The legislation would make it easier to prosecute drivers who use illegal drugs by requiring only a showing that the driver had an illegal drug in his system. Current law requires authorities to prove that the illegal drug actually impaired the driver. [continues 160 words]
We congratulate North Fond du Lac residents for voicing their frustration on the growing threat of methamphetamine labs in their neighborhoods. Citizens spoke; police listened. Good for them both. There have been four crystal meth lab busts in North Fond du Lac within the past 2 1/2 years. A single meth lab is one too many. Four labs, as one North Fond du Lac citizen suggests, hints at a crisis in the making. Because of the public outcry against meth labs, the North Fond du Lac Police Department hosted a meth lab informational session last week that covered a wide variety of topics, including the symptoms and dangers associated with abusers and the signs of manufacturing. [continues 132 words]
Backers Want Clarity; Foe Calls Bill Hateful Madison - A key Assembly panel took less than a minute Thursday to vote unanimously for a bill that would define marriage in Wisconsin as being strictly between one man and one woman. State Rep. Mark Gundrum (R-New Berlin) said the measure could prevent courts from stretching the definition of marriage to recognize same-sex marriages in Wisconsin. "I don't think we should be tinkering with an institution that has worked so well for so long in our society," said Gundrum. [continues 444 words]
Two People Have Been Charged In What Is Believed To Be The Biggest Pot Seizure Ever In Western Wisconsin. Bales of marijuana, varying in size from a brick to a hay bale wrapped in plastic, were center stage Friday at a Madison press conference called by U.S. Attorney J.B. Van Hollen. Two people have been charged in federal court with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana in what authorities believe was the biggest pot seizure in western Wisconsin, Van Hollen said. [continues 449 words]
Western Wisconsin law enforcement officials again have the courtroom clout they say is needed to halt a steady increase in the production and use of methamphetamine. Surrounded by sheriffs and district attorneys from western Wisconsin, Gov. Jim Doyle on Wednesday signed a bill that again makes the production or use of meth a felony. The legislation was co-authored by state Rep. Kitty Rhoades of Hudson and state Sen. Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, both Republicans. [continues 252 words]
Madison man found guilty of possession A Madison marijuana activist failed in his bid Thursday to convince a jury to acquit him of pot possession charges because he uses the drug for medical purposes. Steven E. Wessing, 42, a longtime advocate for legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, was found guilty of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The jury deliberated about 20 minutes. Wessing admitted to the crimes on the witness stand but said he used the marijuana and hashish found in his apartment for medicinal purposes, and not to get high. [continues 293 words]
Man: Marijuana Use Was Medical A Madison man will try to convince a jury today to acquit him on charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia because he needs the drug for medicinal purposes. Steven S. Wessing, 42, uses marijuana five to six times a day, according to court records, to relieve the pain and other symptoms of a variety of maladies including spina bifida occulta, which causes chronic back pain and muscle spasms. He also suffers from severe headaches, anxiety and depression. [continues 557 words]
Couple Charged In Pot-Growing Case Killed Themselves WAUKESHA -- When the United States government filed a forfeiture action against a Big Bend couple charged last year with growing marijuana in their home, it went too far, the couple's probate lawyer says. Ever since Dennis and Denise Schilling killed themselves rather than face prosecution, the debate over the scope of their marijuana-growing went unsettled in criminal court. That didn't stop a federal prosecutor from concluding that "substantial drug activity" justified the government's effort to seize the couple's house. [continues 55 words]
Jim Maas hit the nail on the head with his letter on medical marijuana, "Patients don't need government intervention with medicine" (Aug 22). Marijuana is a very safe substance that in many thousands of years of human use has never caused a death by overdose. Contrast that to just about any FDA-approved drug, or even aspirin, which has never undergone rigorous FDA testing and normally kills a few thousand people each year. Research has not found many cases where a doctor was sued for prescribing relatively harmless drugs. Typical malpractice cases involve surgical injuries causing permanent disability, etc. This is not going to happen from using medical marijuana. [continues 119 words]
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy Is Raising A Valid Argument On A Sensitive Subject - Overly Long, Overly Harsh Prison Terms Perhaps only a lifer like Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy could afford to say what he recently said: We're putting criminals away for too long. "Our resources are misspent, our punishments too severe, our sentences too long," Kennedy said this month at the annual meeting of the American Bar Association. "In too many cases, mandatory minimum sentences are unwise or unjust." [continues 372 words]
Congressman Paul Ryan was on Wisconsin Public Radio on August 13, so I called in to ask him why he recently voted against an amendment to an appropriations bill, which would have prohibited the use of federal funds to subvert state laws in those states that have decided to legalize medical marijuana. The amendment's sponsors were a New York liberal Democrat, Maurice Hinchey, and a California conservative Republican, Dana Rohrabacher, who was President Reagan's speechwriter. During debate, Rohrabacher passionately begged House members for their votes, citing his late mother's cancer and saying it was "immoral to try to put people in jail" for using or dispensing medical marijuana. [continues 168 words]
Editor: Recently, some guy from Madison felt the need to share his concern with readers regarding the "potential liability for physicians who recommend marijuana as medicine". He claims to be worried that the FDA has not approved medical marijuana. The attempt by the government to insure consumers against the risk of using drugs and medical devices has failed all too often. FDA regulations have often prevented consumers from gaining access to new life-saving drugs. The costs of FDA regulation of these markets has likely run into possibly hundreds of billions of dollars and is composed of higher drug prices, fewer drugs, and more and lengthier illnesses and earlier deaths for hundreds of thousands of Americans. (www.cato.org/dailys/1-29-97.html) Congressman Obey has visited the district recently, concerned about the costs of prescription drugs. Perhaps it is time that he take a hard look at the FDA. Obey deserves credit for voting to end federal interference with state laws on medicinal marijuana. [continues 148 words]
Thank you, Waupaca County Board. Thank you for refusing to buy into the feel-good, pseudo pro-family "have dinner with your children for a change" proclamation the president, 35 governors and some big-city mayors have historically endorsed. The organizers, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, call the event "Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children." They say it's good for kids to eat with the family. Keeps them off drugs, pretty much, the group says. [continues 265 words]
Attorney General's Hit List. Nation's Top Law Officer Needs To Review Constitution. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft has declared war on any federal judge in the country with the audacity to hand down a lenient criminal sentence. Ashcroft has directed federal prosecutors to immediately report to the Justice Department any sentence that is a "downward departure" from sentencing guidelines. Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo said Ashcroft simply wants to "get an accurate reporting of how the sentencing guidelines are being applied." [continues 483 words]
Regarding the Aug. 15 editorial "Rethinking long sentences," U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is absolutely right. Our mandatory minimum sentences for crimes such as non-violent drug offenses are "unjust." But let us find the courage to rethink it even a little more. There are an estimated 30 million Americans who use marijuana. The vast majority of them are responsible users who work jobs and pay taxes. Do we really want to lock up 30 million Americans? Eighty percent of Americans believe in the decriminalization of marijuana; 35% believe in legalization, and that percentage would be even greater if people would overcome their fear and engage in rational debate on the subject. There were no laws prohibiting marijuana for the first 160 years of our nation's existence. Alcohol prohibition lasted only 14 years. Its failure was recognized early on. Marijuana prohibition has lasted more than 65 years. It's time to end prohibition. Randy Vizyak Mukwonago [end]
A major reason the United States has more people in prison than any other civilized nation in the world stems from our self-described "law and order" politicians, who have taken away judicial discretion and replaced it with arbitrary sentencing guidelines, some of them mandatory. The feds, for example, require a minimum of five years imprisonment for anyone caught growing 100 or more marijuana plants. Any mitigating circumstances don't matter. It's five years in the slammer regardless of whether a person was growing the weed to help ease the nausea that comes from chemotherapy treatments or he's a drug dealer growing it to sell in the inner city. [continues 236 words]
Recent Overdoses. There's No Buzz Worth Dying For. There is no such thing as a completely safe drug. And two recent incidents in Merrill make that point painfully clear. In March, two teenage girls took large amounts of the over-the-counter motion sickness drug Dramamine. According to police, the teens gorged on the pills in search of a hallucinogenic high. On Aug. 7, two 20-year-old Merrill residents ate at least 32 Coricidin HBP tablets each, sending them to the hospital with overdoses, according to police. Coricidin HBP is an over-the-counter cold and flu medicine. [continues 528 words]
The New Law Will Replace One Ruled Unconstitutional After Being Used To Stop A Weedstock Festival. BARABOO -- Sauk County Board members could act as early as Tuesday to replace the ordinance used to halt the 2000 Weedstock marijuana festival that was found unconstitutional in July by the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. County Administrative Coordinator Gene Wiegand said the new ordinance is designed to respond to the issues raised by the 4th District Court of Appeals, such as the time for applying and for granting a permit for a large gathering and the cost of such a permit. [continues 349 words]
Marijuana And Cocaine Remain Winnebago County's Largest Drug Problems While New Drug Trends Are Beginning To Emerge. An analysis of felony drug cases recorded in Winnebago County during the last five years shows slight growth in presence of methamphetamine - - or meth - and other drugs in addition to a growing number of convictions for marijuana- and cocaine-related crimes. Winnebago County's statistics mirror those of a statewide analysis of illegal drug threats issued last year by the United States Department of Justice. The study reports already widespread availability of marijuana and cocaine and projects growing use and abuse of meth. [continues 588 words]
Petition Period Ends Aug. 24 BARABOO (AP) Sauk County officials are running out of time to challenge an appeals court ruling that invalidates the county's large assemblies ordinance. The 4th District Court of Appeals invalidated the ordinance July 24 while ruling on a case involving a pro-marijuana rally police shut down in May 2000. The county has 30 days after the appeals court decision to petition the Wisconsin Supreme Court to review the decision, said Wendy Bromley, acting Sauk County corporation counsel. [continues 212 words]
Regarding Conni Doll's Aug. 4 letter "Some take advantage without wanting help": Hogwash! Despite the fact that the government's own drug abuse research institute has for years been telling politicians that addiction is a "brain disease," with unique genetic markers, those same pusillanimous politicians in 1996 declared that addiction was the one disease for which federal disability would no longer be paid. Similar demagoguery resulted in welfare being denied to addicts. Now, politicians have gone so far as to make college unavailable to students who, far from being addicted, may have the dream of college denied by a simple pot possession conviction. I suppose that is why no new colleges are being built while prison construction fouls the countryside. [continues 97 words]
Physicians who recommend medical use of marijuana risk huge liability, according to an Educating Voices Inc. white paper. Courts have ruled that physicians have a duty to inform patients of risks and side effects associated with treatments. This is not possible with marijuana because there is no standard chemical composition, no standard dosage, no safe delivery system, no quality controls in the manufacturing process, and little or no knowledge of marijuana's interaction with other drugs or impact on pre-existing conditions. Historically, physicians have relied on the federal Food and Drug Administration approval process to protect them from liability should a drug be unsafe. The FDA has not approved marijuana. A movement has grown to put "medical marijuana" to a public vote, bypassing the FDA approval process, in spite of the scarcity of scientific research showing its effectiveness in medical treatment. It is irresponsible and medically unsound to ask the public to make decisions concerning a drug's efficacy. The points of law covered in the white paper all show a large potential liability for physicians who recommend marijuana as medicine. Read the white paper at http:educatingvoices.org. William R. Walluks Madison [end]
NEENAH - Although its tough stance against substance abuse has not decreased the number of student expulsions as hoped, the Neenah Board of Education will likely maintain its existing zero-tolerance policy with minimal changes. On Tuesday night the board reviewed proposed revisions that were largely minor in nature. The principal changes provide for additional options for student counseling, and a lifting of the present ban on cell phones. Pagers and cell phones were previously viewed as a means of facilitating the sale of drugs and other mood-altering substances. [continues 260 words]
Growing up is not as easy as it used to be. The whole process seems to have become very clouded and confused, due in no small part to the actions of our own government. I remember a few years ago reading about an 11-year-old boy named Nathaniel who was tried for murder as an adult, and convicted. By the decision of a judge, he grew up instantly. Working from the other side is our state Legislature, which has taken on the task of making decisions for us about how to live good, decent lives. The Republicans tell us which things are "drugs," and which are "adult substances." They try their best to tell us who we can't sleep with, who we can't marry and who we can't tell. Just the same, the Democrats push to pass laws to keep us from living lives too dangerous for their taste. If they have their way we'll soon find that fatty foods are strictly regulated, and diabetics are prevented from eating sugary snacks by force of law. [continues 251 words]
Regarding Ben Shapiro's commentary, "Would radio talk-show hosts stand realistic chance of challenging politicians for office?" (July 30), in which he repeatedly bashes the great Massachusetts representative, Congressman Barney Frank. While talk-show host Chuck Morse talks a populist game, one must realize that if he were elected he would not do anything that would benefit the district but rather act as a rubber stamp, voting in block with other Republicans to support their right-wing utopian ideas. I have met Rep. Frank and worked with his office on the issue of medical marijuana, of which he has been a tireless supporter, introducing his States ' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act each session. The Republican majority response is to bottle the bill up in committee so it never gets a hearing, despite the fact over 80 percent of Americans oppose caging their sick and dying fellow Americans for using medical marijuana to regain a little dignity in the face of serious illness. [continues 108 words]
Kenneth A. Germanson's July 30 letter regarding drug addicts being able to overcome their addictions if given half a chance sounds and looks good on paper ("We owe fellow humans a chance to overcome"). I do know of three people who are now clean and sober thanks to family, love and treatment - and the will to want to be free of their drug or alcohol addictions. But what about the majority who lie back on their addictions, making them "the victims"? Food stamps, welfare, disability checks. I've seen more than just a few literally smile and say, "Why should we quit when our habit is being paid for by the taxpayers?" [continues 91 words]
Inside Wisconsin
