MADISON: Wisconsin has lost a voice for liberty - Ed Thompson, former Mayor of Tomah, has passed away at the age of 66 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
In 2002, Ed Thompson was the Libertarian Party candidate for Wisconsin governor, receiving 11 percent of the vote. He campaigned in support of legal access to medical cannabis and Wisconsin medical cannabis patient/activist Jacki Rickert was his Buffalo County campaign director.
Thompson's 11% vote threshold gained the Wisconsin Libertarian Party a spot on the state election board for several years. In 2010, Thompson ran against State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma) as a pro-medical cannabis Republican, losing by less than a percentage point. Many believe Thompson would have won had he not been diagnosed towards the end of his campaign.
Thompson was also a US Navy Veteran and owner of the Tee Pee Supper Club in Tomah. The Tee Pee was the site of statewide Wisconsin NORML meetings with Ed's brother Tommy, former HHS Secretary and WI governor saying a few words at a May 2010 conclave at the Tee Pee.
"It's high time that the Wisconsin Legislature gets off its high horse and recognizes how important this is. I think it's time we had the courage to stand up and do the right thing." -- Ed Thompson, Dec. 11, 2001.
News reports from Nov. 2001 on the launch of his campaign noted he was committed to reducing the state budget and cutting taxes and that one way to do that is by keeping non-violent criminals out of crowded prisons. "Non-violent people don't be-long in prisons," Thompson said. "You can't keep putting pot smokers in prison for five years."
Reports also noted Thompson favored decriminalizing cannabis, acknowledging it might cost him votes. "But it's also possible that a lot of people will vote for me because of it. The war on drugs is a dismal failure."
In Dec. 2001, as the Libertarian candidate for governor, Thompson joined Reps. Frank Boyle (D-Superior) and Mark Pocan (D-Madison) at a State Capitol press conference for their medical cannabis bill, saying, "It's high time that the Wisconsin Legislature gets off its high horse and recognizes how important this is. I think it's time we had the courage to stand up and do the right thing."
Thompson also stood up against federal interference in state medical cannabis programs at a June 2002 rally in downtown Madison. That topic has again been in recent news with US DOJ moves in California and other states targeting medical cannabis providers.
Speaking on the steps of Madison's City Hall on a busy day of campaign appearances, Thompson pledged to support passage of a bill if elected governor.
Ed was also one of three pro-medical cannabis State Senate candidates in the 2010 elections and one of two, with Rick Richard who ran against Tim Cullen, to make it the general election.
Wisconsin NORML presented Ed Thompson with its first-ever Ben Masel "Defender of Liberty" Award at "A Cannabis Fair" in Kendall, WI, on July 23, 2011.
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