Wisconsin State Journal _WI_ 1/1/1997 - 31/12/2024
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51 US WI: LTE: Man-Made Cannabis Already AvailableMon, 23 Nov 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Emerson, Nina J. Area:Wisconsin Lines:39 Added:11/26/2009

Regarding Thursday's editorial "Let desperate patients have pot," I have news for you and your readers: Medical marijuana is already available. It is Marinol (dronabinol is the generic name. See http://www.drugs.com/marinol.html/).

Marinol is a man-made form of cannabis used to treat loss of appetite, severe nausea and vomiting, without ingesting harmful carcinogens from smoking marijuana.

While the American Medical Association may have requested that the federal government reclassify marijuana from a schedule 1 drug to something less restrictive, that is hardly a ringing endorsement for everyone with an ailment to start toking up.

Research can be conducted on marijuana without legalizing the leafy stuff.

Nina J. Emerson, director

Resource Center on Impaired Driving, UW Law School

[end]

52 US WI: PUB LTE: Legal Marijuana Scares Big PharmaThu, 26 Nov 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Faber, Tim Area:Wisconsin Lines:37 Added:11/26/2009

As the state again ponders making pot legal by prescription, the ghosts of "Reefer Madness" return to persuade the doubtful that THC is a dangerous, addictive menace and users should be punished like any other abusers of banned narcotics.

Except that we already allow the doctor-prescribed use of highly addictive opiates, sedatives and stimulants. Why is this plant- and the people who can benefit from it's use-being discriminated against? We condone and support industries that produce and legally sell addictive drugs such as alcohol and nicotine over the counter. We allow the American Medical Association and pharmaceutical giants to distribute narcotics under the counter.

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53 US WI: PUB LTE: Deer Hunt, Pot Crops Are an Odd MixMon, 23 Nov 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Books, Steve Area:Wisconsin Lines:33 Added:11/24/2009

It's an interesting dynamic for DNR Warden Randy Stark to suggest that hunters be watchful for possible "pot crops" in Wisconsin woods. Instead, how about a suggestion for hunters to watch for other public safety hazards such as hunters who may have had too much legal alcohol while hunting?

Wisconsin deer hunters are knowledgeable and conscientious enough to go out hunting without any advice, especially coming from the DNR.

I suggest hunters be totally sober and safe while hunting, wear blaze orange and know where other hunters could be. And if someone who has had too much legal alcohol attempts to go deer hunting, do what you can to keep that hunter out of the woods.

As for "stumbling" across a pot-growing operation, you may as well stop, unload your rifle, quit hunting and try a sample of the possible "crop" just to make sure of the quality. Then move on, minding your own business.

Steve Books, Mount Horeb

[end]

54 US WI: Editorial: Let Desperate Patients Have PotThu, 19 Nov 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI)          Area:Wisconsin Lines:62 Added:11/19/2009

A doctor should be able to recommend marijuana to a Wisconsin cancer patient suffering from severe nausea, loss of appetite and pain.

More than a dozen other states have legalized medical marijuana.

Wisconsin should, too.

Opponents say there's not enough evidence marijuana works. Tell that to the cancer and multiple sclerosis patients who swear by it - and to the doctors who have recommended the drug.

The problem is that the government hasn't allowed comprehensive tests.

The American Medical Association last week called on the federal government to review its classification of marijuana as a controlled substance so more research on marijuana-based medicines can occur.

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55 US WI: Supporters Rally For Legal PotMon, 05 Oct 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Cullen, Sandy Area:Wisconsin Lines:67 Added:10/06/2009

Hundreds of medical marijuana supporters rallied Sunday at the State Capitol for legislation that would make Wisconsin the 14th state to legalize cannabis for treatment of debilitating illnesses.

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, are co-sponsors of the newly drafted Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act, which would protect Wisconsin patients from arrest and prosecution and allow them or a designated caregiver to possess and grow a small amount of cannabis for medical use, said Gary Storck, communications director for the nonprofit advocacy organization Is My Medicine Legal YET?

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56 US WI: A 'Big Problem' - Heroin - Rattles Small-Town MiltonSun, 07 Jun 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Erickson, Doug Area:Wisconsin Lines:108 Added:06/07/2009

MILTON -- Along with the usual year-end activities at the middle school here -- a picnic for eighth-graders, a trip to Six Flags Great America -- students were shuffled into an assembly Friday that no one saw coming just a few weeks ago.

As the 500 students settled onto bleachers, Milton Police Chief Jerry Schuetz launched into the un-middle school-like topic of heroin use among classmates.

It's been that kind of spring in Milton, a city of about 5,670 people 35 miles southeast of Madison. First, swine flu closed the high school. Then, on May 16, three Milton Middle School boys, all eighth-graders, overdosed on heroin. All three recovered.

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57 US WI: PUB LTE: Another Reason For Peaceful Block PartyThu, 07 May 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Storck, Gary Area:Wisconsin Lines:24 Added:05/08/2009

Sunday's article about the Mifflin Street Block Party should have been titled "Pot paraders pacify partiers."

Alcohol, the legal drug of choice for Mifflin partiers, is a depressant. Cannabis produces euphoria. The good vibes given off by the Global Cannabis Marchers stuck around long enough to keep everything much more peaceful and the result was less violence and fewer arrests this year. There's a lesson in there somewhere.

- -- Gary Storck, co-founder, Madison chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

[end]

58 US WI: Mifflin Street Tradition Off to 'Calm, Well-Behaved'Sat, 02 May 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Seely, Ron Area:Wisconsin Lines:83 Added:05/03/2009

Of all the sights on West Mifflin Street on Saturday, none seemed more reassuring than long-time marijuana activist Ben Masel, his hair pulled back in a graying pony tail, toting a sign that read "Grow Hemp Save Farms."

Amid all the partying, Masel, 55, seemed at least an echo of the first Mifflin Street block party 40 years ago, born in 1969 during the politically charged days of the Vietnam War protests.

The more mainstream 40th anniversary edition of a Madison springtime tradition, fueled by sun and warm temperatures and beer, was in full swing by 2 p.m. on Saturday with hundreds of students filling Mifflin curb to curb and others jammed onto the sagging porches and balconies of the street's old two-story homes.

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59 US WI: Legalize Marijuana?Tue, 03 Mar 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Cullen, Sandy Area:Wisconsin Lines:41 Added:03/08/2009

'I Don't Have a Problem With It at All,' Says Cieslewicz

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said on a radio talk show Friday that if it were up to him, marijuana would be legal.

"I don't have a problem with it at all," Cieslewicz said on the "Sly In The Morning" show on WTDY-AM (1670).

But mayoral spokeswoman Rachel Strauch-Nelson said Monday that "it was just a personal opinion" and "not a policy initiative of any kind."

"I thank him for his candor, but I'm disappointed he's not willing to take it any farther," said Gary Storck. co-founder of the Madison chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

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60 US WI: LTE: Reputations Needlessly HarmedFri, 27 Feb 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Menne, Zach Area:Wisconsin Lines:26 Added:02/28/2009

The inactivity on the part of the police officer is the most troubling element in the issue involving the Downtown restaurant, a city police officer and city alderman.

If the officer supposedly smelled the odor of marijuana, why didn't she investigate? It seems like a case of poor police work rather than misconduct.

While the officer simply failed to act upon a hunch, irreparable damage has been done to the reputation of Zanders' restaurant as well as to the political career of the Ald. Mike Verveer.

- -- Zach Menne, Richland Center

[end]

61 US WI: PUB LTE: Neither Officer Nor Verveer ImplicatedFri, 27 Feb 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Schilling, Dan Area:Wisconsin Lines:38 Added:02/28/2009

As an air quality specialist, I work with clients who smell smoke even when no smokers are present.

Smoke consists primarily of gasses that instantly travel through air. Smoke odors also travel through small air leaks in walls and ceilings. I have observed this phenomenon in apartments and condos, and have investigated it in stores on State Street.

And smoke gasses quickly permeate clothing and hair in smoking establishments. Pot is no different. When I am listening to live music, I can smell pot on people who smoked before coming in.

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62 US WI: PUB LTE: Prison Industry Depends On Drug UseSat, 28 Feb 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Usher, Joe Area:Wisconsin Lines:41 Added:02/27/2009

Reading a Friday letter from a Boscobel reader about being tough on people who use (and most likely are addicted to) cocaine and heroin, I realized there's a prison in that community. My assumption is there's a vested interest for the people living in this town to make sure their prison stays full. The U.S. has by far the highest rate of incarceration in the world because of this "get tough on drugs" policy. It is obviously in the best interest of anyone whose job is associated with our prison system to keep all sorts of drugs illegal.

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63 US WI: LTE: Lack Of Judgment In Cop/Pot IncidentThu, 26 Feb 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Beiswanger, Roland C. Area:Wisconsin Lines:40 Added:02/26/2009

During the reign of England's Queen Victoria, the moneyed and their politicians were out of bounds. One could do as one wished, if one had money or political power. The law looked the other way.

Today we assume those days are gone, and good riddance. But did someone forget today's murkier code, or was the police officer, who smelled marijuana in a restaurant but left when she spotted a Madison councilman, uninformed?

Smelling "the weed" does need to be investigated. And discovering someone in power in the same room complicates things. The question is "Should I look further, and/or keep my mouth shut?"

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64 US WI: LTE: Bad Idea To Cave In On War On DrugsFri, 20 Feb 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Brechler, Troy Area:Wisconsin Lines:31 Added:02/22/2009

Thanks to Sunday syndicated columnist Steve Chapman for his insight on the Drug War. Let me see if I follow him correctly.

About a million heroin users and 3.3 million cocaine users are in the United States. About 305 million people are in the United States. That means about 1 percent of the U.S. population is using illegal narcotics.

Chapman seems to be basing the legalization of these narcotics on the findings of a Latin American commission. Since when does a Latin American commission of 17 people and about 1 percent of our population dictate United States' law?

Legalizing cocaine and heroin is wrong. It caves in to the users and the countries that stand to make money from the sale of these drugs.

Troy Brechler

Boscobel

[end]

65 US WI: PUB LTE: Time To Legalize Medical MarijuanaMon, 05 Jan 2009
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Storck, Gary Area:Wisconsin Lines:44 Added:01/05/2009

With overwhelming support, Wisconsinites would be thrilled to read this headline: "Governor signs medical marijuana bill, Wisconsin becomes15th state to protect patients using medicinal cannabis."

Michigan became the 13th such state when voters passed Proposition 1 on Nov. 4.On Dec. 15, the New Jersey State Senate Health Committee passed medical marijuana legislation by a 6-1 margin, sending it to the full Senate for a vote. New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine urged quick passage.

With the change of leadership in the state Assembly, Wisconsin has the potential to be next. Gov. Jim Doyle, who has stated he would sign a bill if it reached his desk, should follow the lead of fellow governors who urged legislators to act.

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66 US WI: LTE: Charges In Drug Deal Death Defy ReasonMon, 10 Nov 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Usher, Joe Area:Wisconsin Lines:33 Added:11/10/2008

Charging drug dealers with reckless homicide (beyond drug dealing charges) is a strange concept. It's just another example of the haphazard approach of the "justice" system.

Assuming the customers who would "line up at noon" to buy drugs from Ian Kies at an East Side tavern were consenting adults (a whole different issue), why is he more responsible for an overdose than the customers who actually consumed the drugs? Because in our blame game society, those people are dead, so who is left to pin it on?

This brings into question why gun dealers and bar owners or bartenders are not targeted more when someone dies from these things. I say follow the money.

It's because there is no drug dealer lobby (yet).

Joe Usher

Middleton

[end]

67 US WI: Michigan Cited On Medical Marijuana LawSun, 09 Nov 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI)          Area:Wisconsin Lines:29 Added:11/09/2008

Wisconsinites hoping to legalize medical marijuana are looking to Michigan to set an example.

A Michigan proposition letting people with serious or terminal illnesses use marijuana with a doctor's order passed with a two-thirds majority in Tuesday's election.

Michigan joins 12 other states allowing the use of so-called medical marijuana. Federal law still prohibits use of the drug in all circumstances.

Gary Storck is director of the nonprofit group Madison NORML. He says Michigan could lead the way for the other Great Lakes states. The Wisconsin Nurses Association and the Wisconsin Public Health Association favor legalizing medical marijuana.

[end]

68 US WI: Some Details Released On Rural New Glarus KillingFri, 07 Nov 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Hesselberg, George Area:Wisconsin Lines:89 Added:11/08/2008

Nearly a year after Mark Tobin was killed in his rural New Glarus home, Green County detectives remain baffled about who murdered him but certain about why he was killed.

Thursday, in the first few details revealed about the unsolved case, Tobin was described as a large-scale marijuana grower who cultivated and harvested a layered "grow" in a two-story garage next to his home six miles west of New Glarus.

The background of the killing remains secret, however, as detectives will not disclose how Tobin, 38, was killed. A search warrant from last year remains sealed, and a $10,000 reward put up by Tobin's businessman father remains unclaimed.

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69 US WI: Accused Dealer In Fatal Overdose Used Bar For SalesWed, 05 Nov 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Treleven, Ed Area:Wisconsin Lines:106 Added:11/06/2008

Drug customers looking for heroin, cocaine or OxyContin could usually find Ian Kies on a stool in an East Side Madison tavern from which police said he ran his business.

An informant told police that he regularly saw a dozen or more customers line up around noon in a bar just off Atwood Avenue, waiting for Kies to arrive with narcotics concealed in a secret Velcro-fastened pouch under the brim of his black baseball cap, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court.

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70 US WI: Drugged Driving Law Is Tough -- And Unfair, Some SaySun, 02 Nov 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Treleven, Ed Area:Wisconsin Lines:187 Added:11/02/2008

On Tuesday, more than nine months after a crash on a snowy highway that killed his fiancee, John H. Harrison Jr. will likely become the first person in Dane County to be convicted of a drugged driving homicide.

The law under which the 18-year-old man was charged in May, five months after the death of Courtney Kuenzi-Kessenich, 17, was itself born from tragedy in 2003.

But some lawyers contend the law is unfair because it says that finding even the slightest detectable amount of a drug that could impair driving is enough to prove a driver is guilty of driving under the influence, the same as a driver caught driving with too much alcohol in the blood.

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71 US WI: Dane County Drug Unit Wins State AwardSat, 25 Oct 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Rivedal, Karen Area:Wisconsin Lines:211 Added:10/28/2008

A low-profile team of drug police in Madison is getting some extra attention.

Bolstered by record seizures of heroin and illegal pills -- plus the rare interception of opium-soaked wood chips from Laos -- the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force has been named Wisconsin's top Drug Unit of the Year.

Believing anonymity helps them do their jobs better and more safely, members of such drug units are cautious about identifying themselves and revealing many details about how cases are solved.

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72 US WI: Legalizing, Taxing Pot Urged To Raise CashTue, 30 Sep 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Rickert, Chris Area:Wisconsin Lines:63 Added:10/01/2008

President Bush and the two leading presidential contenders were urging lawmakers to take one for the good of the country Tuesday and pass a highly unpopular Wall Street bailout package.

Some drug-reform advocates, meanwhile, were suggesting that a better way out of the current financial mess would be to toke one for the country.

"Society could get a great deal of funding by bringing cannabis into our society," said Gary Storck, co-founder of the Madison chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

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73 US WI: PUB LTE: Why Reluctance to Research Cannabis?Mon, 30 Jun 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Storck, Gary Area:Wisconsin Lines:39 Added:06/30/2008

"Heart troubles," the State Journal's Wednesday piece on Tim Russert's abrupt passing despite treatment with the best Western medicine could offer, points out a need for more alternatives.

In a 2004 study published in the journal Nature, "Low dose oral cannabinoid therapy reduces progression of atherosclerosis in mice," Swiss scientists observed that cannabinoids, chemical compounds found in marijuana, protect against heart disease by blocking the blood vessel inflammation that causes plaque to form.

The cannabinoid used was delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), already approved by the FDA as a schedule 3 drug. Although approved to stimulate appetite in cancer and AIDS patients, doctors hypothetically could prescribe it "off-label," meaning this treatment is available today nationwide.

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74 US WI: Fines Can't Go to Nonprofit and Anti-Crime GroupsMon, 05 May 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Hall, Dee J. Area:Wisconsin Lines:129 Added:05/08/2008

Dozens of nonprofit and anti-crime organizations around Wisconsin that rely on court-imposed fines for much of their bread and butter will lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding because of a law enacted in March.

The law prohibits prosecutors and judges from requiring defendants to pay fines to crime-prevention organizations such as DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and Crime Stoppers. Other organizations, including those helping domestic-violence victims and young people at risk of committing crimes, will also feel the pinch.

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75 US WI: Column: Second Thoughts On Zero Tolerance PoliciesSat, 08 Mar 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Smith, Susan Lampert Area:Wisconsin Lines:87 Added:03/09/2008

The biggest problem with "zero tolerance " policies is that they require zero thought.

A kid smokes pot or drinks on school property? Bam! They 're out for a year.

Simple, right? Even a kid could understand it. Except, sometimes, teenagers aren 't so great about thinking through the consequences.

A few weeks ago I wrote about a group of Marshall Middle School girls expelled for a year for alleged marijuana use. The district offers no services to expelled students, and one family couldn 't find another public school that would take their daughter.

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76 US WI: Column: Time Passing by Clinton GenerationSun, 17 Feb 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Smith, Susan Lampert Area:Wisconsin Lines:91 Added:02/17/2008

The cute girl in the YouTube video has a crush on Obama.

I know how she feels. I've had a crush on Bill Clinton.

I already know all the reasons why this is stupid.

In fact, I saw one of those reasons standing in line, waiting to get into the Stock Pavilion on the UW-Madison campus.

It was one of our former interns at the newspaper. She 's young and beautiful and smart. And I know how the old cad is with those young interns. So I jumped in line to protect her.

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77 US: Cheesemaker Scores Tennessee Drug CaveWed, 13 Feb 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Heynen, Nick Area:United States Lines:62 Added:02/15/2008

When authorities auction off the confiscated property of formerly successful drug traffickers, it's usually jewelry, mansions, classic cars and swanky yachts.

But one of the best deals at Tennessee's 15th Judicial District Drug Task Force auction last week was a bit unusual: a 500-foot-long cave 100 feet underground about 40 miles from Nashville, which until 2005 was used to house a multimillion-dollar operation featuring more than 1,000 hydroponically grown marijuana plants.

It turns out that what's good for growing pot is also good for curing cheese, so a Wisconsin cheesemaker bought the cave for $285,000.

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78 US WI: Few Details On Police Evidence SecuritySun, 27 Jan 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Rivedal, Karen Area:Wisconsin Lines:195 Added:01/28/2008

A few years ago the police department in Fort Worth, Texas, had a problem with the chronic disappearance of confiscated pornography from the evidence room.

Officers were watching the videotapes for lunch-hour entertainment -- until higher-ups started requiring a supervisor's signature for release of that type of evidence.

"That put a quick stop to that," said John Vasquez, who leads the Texas association for evidence technicians.

A much more serious security problem -- theft of heroin -- surfaced at the Madison Police Department late last year. Investigators say an officer removed the addictive drug from the property room for no legitimate reason at least 10 times.

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79 US WI: Dead Girl's Father Opposes ChargesMon, 14 Jan 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Adams, Barry Area:Wisconsin Lines:80 Added:01/15/2008

The father of a 17-year-old Spring Green girl killed in a car crash Thursday calls the tentative charges against the driver, his daughter 's boyfriend, a "tragic mistake. "

John H. Harrison, 17, of Madison, was arrested on suspicion of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle and causing injury by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle in the crash, which killed Courtney Anna Marie Kuenzi Kessenich.

"They were questioning him when he was sedated and apparently he said he smoked a little pot earlier in the day but I doubt that had anything to do with it, " said Gary Kessenich, Courtney 's father. "It was just a tragic crash. "

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80 US WI: PUB LTE: Decriminalization Of Marijuana Best MoveMon, 14 Jan 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Sharpe, Robert Area:Wisconsin Lines:40 Added:01/15/2008

Regarding Maureen Martin's Wednesday guest column, the Waukesha County Board's vote to treat possession of marijuana by first-time offenders as a ticketed offense rather than a crime is a step in the right direction.

There is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs. Decriminalization acknowledges the social reality of marijuana use and frees users from the stigma of life-shattering criminal records. What's really needed is a regulated market with age controls.

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81 US WI: OPED: 'Reefer Madness' Or a Good Start?Tue, 08 Jan 2008
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Martin, Maureen Area:Wisconsin Lines:78 Added:01/10/2008

The Waukesha County Board voted recently -- and nearly unanimously -- to treat possession of marijuana by first-time offenders as a ticketed traffic-like offense rather than a crime.

Has "Reefer Madness " struck Waukesha County? The answer may be yes, but only in the sense its decriminalization of marijuana possession doesn 't go far enough. It is, however, a good start.

In 2003, 26,494 persons were arrested in Wisconsin statewide for drug-related crimes, according to the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance. Of this number, 20,245 were arrested for drug possession. Almost 75 percent of those (14,097) were arrested for possession of marijuana.

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82 US WI: Editorial: Big Questions In Heroin CaseFri, 28 Dec 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI)          Area:Wisconsin Lines:82 Added:12/29/2007

A police detective should not be able to waltz into the property room at the Madison Police Department and remove evidence related to criminal cases he has little or nothing to do with.

This is especially true when the evidence is heroin.

Investigators believe Madison Police Detective Jeffery Hughes got away with removing bags of heroin from the property room at least 10 times. The evidence so far suggests he may have been obtaining the drugs for personal use.

Nobody seemed to pay much attention until Hughes crashed his car into a guardrail Nov. 20 on Interstate 39-90 near Edgerton while off-duty. He was badly injured.

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83 US WI: Charges Filed In Fatal Hit And RunWed, 19 Dec 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Treleven, Ed Area:Wisconsin Lines:65 Added:12/20/2007

A Cottage Grove woman long identified by authorities as the driver of an SUV that hit and killed a bicyclist in February was charged Wednesday with homicide by driving under the influence of marijuana.

An arrest warrant was issued for Susan K. Gorton, 45, who allegedly hit and killed Dale Connors, 52, on Feb. 6 on Femrite Drive in the town of Blooming Grove.

At the time of his death, friends described Connors as an intelligent and self-sufficient man who built a tiny root-cellar-like home for himself in the woods.

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84 US WI: PUB LTE: Approve Medical Marijuana For PainThu, 20 Dec 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Storck, Gary Area:Wisconsin Lines:47 Added:12/20/2007

More pain clinics alone are not the answer to skyrocketing chronic pain rates. Scientific studies and clinical observations have long established marijuana as an effective treatment for pain. Cannabis has shown special efficacy in treating conditions like migraine and nerve pain that often do not respond to conventional medications and treatments.

Current law deprives health care professionals of this tool when compassion demands patients have legal access. Meanwhile, state legislation that would legalize this option, AB 550, the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act, remains stalled in the Assembly 's Health and Health Care Reform committees, where the chairwoman, Rep. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa, refuses to hold a hearing.

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85 US WI: Missing Dope Sparks Tougher Police Evidence-Room RulesWed, 19 Dec 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Rivedal, Karen Area:Wisconsin Lines:93 Added:12/20/2007

The Madison Police Department has put in place new procedures for the police property room, after a Madison detective seriously injured in a car crash allegedly removed heroin from the property room on several occasions under questionable circumstances, officials said today.

"The immediate changes ... are designed to make the system more proactive, while maintaining the integrity already built into the existing chain of custody procedures," Chief Noble Wray and other leaders said in a statement.

The primary change is a requirement that any officer seeking release of sensitive evidence such as drugs, firearms or weapons from the property room must have a supervisor's signature on the request form.

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86 US WI: PUB LTE: Fear Of Addiction OverstatedTue, 18 Dec 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Dahl, June Area:Wisconsin Lines:40 Added:12/19/2007

Thanks for Sunday's article highlighting the importance of effective pain control. Unrelieved pain has a devastating impact on individuals and society. It can and should be treated.

As you reported, there are many therapies for chronic pain. But opioid analgesics (narcotics) got a bad rap in your article. The emphasis was on diversion and addiction, not on the fact that opioids can be critical parts of a treatment regimen that gives quality of life and function to persons with persistent pain.

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87 US WI: OPED: Wisconsin's Carousel of PrisonersWed, 24 Oct 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Fraser, Ronald Area:Wisconsin Lines:85 Added:10/27/2007

Wisconsin's prison system is like an out-of-control carousel.

In 2005, for example, 7,700 new inmates got onboard just as 8,800 parolees stepped off and headed for home -- up from 1,600 in 1980. Wisconsin towns and cities are struggling to cope with the special services needed by this growing number of new parolees returning home each year.

America's lock 'em up drug laws are keeping this merry-go-round spinning faster and faster. Nationally, the portion of inmates leaving state prisons after serving time for non-violent drug offenses has shot up from 11 percent in 1985 to 37 percent in 2005. Here is how this trend plays out in Wisconsin.

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88 US WI: Shabaz Clears Way For SuccessorWed, 10 Oct 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Murphy, Kevin Area:Wisconsin Lines:180 Added:10/12/2007

After 25 years on the bench, U.S. District Judge John Shabaz says he's ready to scale back his caseload and President Bush should start looking for his successor.

In a letter to Bush dated Oct. 4, Shabaz, 76, said he will assume senior status if the U.S. Senate confirms his successor by Jan. 20, 2009, Bush's last day in office.

A federal judge can leave active status and take senior status beginning at age 65, said Joel Turner, deputy U.S. clerk for the Western District of Wisconsin. The senior designation means the judge takes on a reduced workload.

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89 US WI: Medical Marijuana Gets Heavy SupportSun, 07 Oct 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Wahlberg, David Area:Wisconsin Lines:92 Added:10/06/2007

Mary Powers of Madison takes marijuana to relieve nausea caused by AIDS and cancer.

Brian Barnstable of Milwaukee uses it to ease multiple sclerosis pain.

Both patients can get the pot they smoke and bake with on the black market, but they say medical marijuana should be legal.

"Why should it be so hard?" asked Powers, 48.

That question was the focus of the 37th annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival Saturday on State Street Mall. The event continues at 1 p.m. today, with a walk to the Capitol at 3 p.m.

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90 US WI: Union Defends Accused Parole AgentsTue, 11 Sep 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Rivedal, Karen Area:Wisconsin Lines:102 Added:09/12/2007

Union officials say Dane County prosecutors are guilty of "an unconscionable abuse of power " for bringing drug charges against two state parole agents based on the claims of a convicted felon and despite a review of their actions by the Department of Corrections that partially cleared the two.

"There is literally no physical evidence (of drug use) whatsoever, " said Tom Corcoran, president of American Federations of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2748, which represents the state 's probation and parole agents. "They are being crucified for having made the mistake of having too much to drink (at a party) in May 2006. "

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91 US WI: 2 Parole Agents Face Drug ChargesSat, 08 Sep 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Rivedal, Karen Area:Wisconsin Lines:117 Added:09/08/2007

Two state parole agents are each facing up to nearly two years behind bars and a $15,000 fine after an all-night party last year on Madison's Far East Side in which prosecutors say they bought and used cocaine with three men, including one who was on probation at the time.

Paul N. Marx, 27, of Marshall, and Bobbi J. Knar, 24, of Sun Prairie were charged Friday with possession of cocaine and obstructing an officer. They are to appear Monday in Dane County Circuit Court on the charges, which are both misdemeanors.

[continues 805 words]

92 US WI: PUB LTE: Bridges Fail While We Focus On MarijuanaThu, 09 Aug 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Storck, Gary Area:Wisconsin Lines:51 Added:08/14/2007

News reports say nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars is needed to fix structurally deficient U.S. bridges and highways but that states and the federal government have been unable or unwilling to come up with the money.

While ensuring the safety of our nation's infrastructure has become a luxury we can't afford, there is always more money to pour down the bottomless pit of marijuana prohibition. Even cancer and multiple sclerosis patients are fair game.

Thursday, Aug. 2, marked the 70th anniversary of the date President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Marijuana Tax Act into law. Ruled unconstitutional in 1969, marijuana prohibition was continued under the 1971 Controlled Substances Act.

[continues 120 words]

93 US WI: Marijuana Activist Sues Over ArrestFri, 27 Jul 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI)          Area:Wisconsin Lines:27 Added:07/29/2007

Marijuana activist Ben Masel filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming his rights were violated when he was arrested at Union Terrace in June 2006 while collecting signatures to get his name on the ballot as a U.S. Senate candidate.

The suit, filed in Dane County Circuit Court , seeks unspecified monetary damages and asks the court to find a policy prohibiting people from soliciting signatures in specific areas of Memorial Union unconstitutional.

Defendants include UW-Madison Police Officers Mike Mansavage and John McCaughtry, whom the suit alleges "brutally manhandled" Masel and sprayed him with pepper spray.

[end]

94 US WI: Democrats Will Target GOP LegislatorsSat, 30 Jun 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Pitsch, Mark Area:Wisconsin Lines:125 Added:07/01/2007

At their state convention Friday and Saturday, Democratic leaders identified some of the Republican legislators they hope to defeat in the 2008 election.

Rep. Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha, the Assembly minority leader, said Democrats will target the Assembly seats of Republicans Karl Van Roy of Green Bay, Terry Moulton of Chippewa Falls, Brett Davis of Oregon, J.A. "Doc" Hines of Oxford and Jim Ott of Mequon, among others. Democrats are three seats shy of controlling the 99-member Assembly,

"We're going to fight tooth and nail to get those three seats," Kreuser said.

[continues 694 words]

95 US WI: 300 Marijuana Plants Seized At 'Grow House'Wed, 27 Jun 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Cullen, Sandy Area:Wisconsin Lines:72 Added:06/27/2007

Madison police responding to a landlord's report of tenant problems found a residence on the Far East Side that was converted into a "grow house" for marijuana.

About 300 marijuana plants were seized Thursday from the home in the 1500 block of Droster Road, police said. Members of the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force put the value of each plant at between $800 and $1,000.

Authorities are now looking for the people who rented the property.

Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said that like other grow houses found across the country, the single-family home on Droster Road was being used strictly for growing pot.

[continues 274 words]

96 US WI: PUB LTE: Anti-Salvia Efforts Are Unnecessary MeddlingWed, 20 Jun 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Miller, Andrew Area:Wisconsin Lines:45 Added:06/21/2007

While your article on salvia was generally well-balanced, the essential question of why the drug should be banned was never really addressed.

Contrary to Dr. Miller's assertions, there is little evidence to suggest that salvia is addictive. While the effects are certainly powerful, very few users consider them pleasant or euphoric and the absence of any cited evidence to the contrary is telling.

In addition, while the drug does indeed act upon opiate receptors, it does so in a way completely different from other opiates known to be addicting, such as morphine or oxycodone.

[continues 146 words]

97 US WI: PUB LTE: What Happened To Ideals Of Freedom?Wed, 20 Jun 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Buors, Chris Area:Wisconsin Lines:64 Added:06/21/2007

The idea that Democratic Rep. Sheldon Wasserman's bill to ban the manufacture and sale of salvia divinorum is "all about protecting our children" would astonish Aristotle, not to mention Thomas Jefferson.

Those individuals believed it to be the duty of parents to protect children from dangerous substances. Laws provide against injury from others; but not from ourselves. God himself will not save men against their wills," wrote Jefferson. Who protects the children from all the dangerous substances under the kitchen sink and in the garden shed?

[continues 338 words]

98 US WI: PUB LTE: War On Drugs' Ignores Common SenseWed, 20 Jun 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Long, Ryan Grant Area:Wisconsin Lines:45 Added:06/21/2007

Regarding the recent article on banning salvia divinorum in Wisconsin:

Unlike alcohol, which destroys lives; or addictive nicotine that makes you a slave to the tobacco industry; or LSD, which lasts for 12 hours or more, here is an herb whose effects last a matter of minutes. It doesn't produce a rush or euphoria. It's not addictive, and it makes users feel anti-social, so it's hardly going to become a fad among teenagers (unless, of course, you heighten its intrigue by making it illegal).

[continues 160 words]

99 US WI: PUB LTE: Once Again, Drug Crusaders MisguidedWed, 20 Jun 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Givens, Ralph Area:Wisconsin Lines:31 Added:06/21/2007

Before the drug crusaders wheel out the usual hysterical lies in their attempts to outlaw salvia divinorum, it is worthwhile to notice that no serious problems have been associated with salvia divinorum to date. There are no deaths, no desperate addictions and no robberies, assaults or murders connected to salvia.

Of course, prohibitionists who advocate a salvia ban need no evidence of risk or harm to spew out dire warnings. If it is a drug and some people like it, it must be dangerous.

[continues 66 words]

100 US WI: PUB LTE: Party On Dudes!Wed, 20 Jun 2007
Source:Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Author:Sumner, Bill Area:Wisconsin Lines:22 Added:06/21/2007

Editor Dudes:

Thanks for the front page article on Salvia. It must be AWESOME. I can hardly wait for your articles on how to cook up methamphetamine, purchase heroin and make crack cocaine. Party on Garth. Party on, Wayne. Schwing.

- -- Bill Sumner, Madison

[end]


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