Eye on the Jacki Rickert MMJ Act: The great disconnect?

Mary Powers & Jacki Rickert

MADISON: For over a week, Wisconsin Eye, the statewide multimedia public affairs network, has been running an online poll on support for medical marijuana in Wisconsin.

As I write at close to 1pm on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, the current results are:

Eye in the Sky Survey

Should Wisconsin legalize medical marijuana?

YES (97.1%)

NO (2.3%)

UNDECIDED (0.6%)

Source: Wisconsin Eye.

Meanwhile, in the first days of 2010, a news article stating variations of the theme that the Democratic legislative leadership was "cool" towards the JRMMA was widely distributed in tv news reports and radio, print and internet reports.

Headlines included, "Legislative leaders cool to legalizing medical pot" (LaCrosse Tribune.com), "WI lawmakers voice reservations over legalizing medical marijuana" (Madison's WKOW.com), and "Medicial marijuana bill may not make floor of State Legislature" (Pierce County Herald).

The Pierce County Herald went so far as to include this passage, which did not appear in other versions I reviewed:

Chronically ill-patients have tried for years to approve a controlled use of marijuana to deal with their pain. And they thought they finally had a chance once voters gave Democrats both houses of the Legislature 14 months ago.

The truth is that despite the overwhelming public support, the prospect of having to actually vote on this issue scares the heck out of many legislators of both parties, particularly with the fall 2010 elections inching closer each day.

The Wisconsin ACLU, a registered supporter of the JRMMA, commented on the situation on their blog:

 But despite polling that suggests that public opinion is very much in favor of regulating cannabis for medical use – the bill’s sponsors said that the people are way ahead of their legislators on the issue – our state’s legislative leadership don’t seem to be willing to let the issue get a floor vote.-- Cap City Liberty, Jan. 4, 2010.

With the bill still before the two health committees, the truth is talk of floor votes are a little premature. But, with that said, for an issue this popular, the disconnect is palpable.

Despite the high poll numbers both online and dating back to more scientific polls in 2002 and 2005, despite a successful public hearing that was standing room only for hours and lasted more than eight hours, despite heartfelt spoken and written testimony from patients and supporters, most legislators are not exactly embracing the issue.

Historically, only 4 of the current 13 states that have enacted medical cannabis legislation achieved it through legislative action (CT, HI, VT and NM). The bills passed by legislatures have been greatly restrictive compared to the 9 passed by ballot initiative, a process the Wisconsin Constitution does not provide for.

Ultimately, it will be public support that makes or breaks the JRMMA. While Wisconsinites say they support legal access to medical marijuana, far too many are unwilling to even call their legislators or send an email. Over 70 years of marijuana prohibition, escalating penalties that can affect driving, jobs and educational opportunities, harsh enforcement, even confiscation of property, has deeply terrorized the public. Even the thought of saying aloud the "M' word in public -- MARIJUANA -- strikes fear into many.

The truth is, contacting one's lawmakers to ask they support a bill is nothing to fear, and DOES NOT place constituent's names on a list of "pothead legalizers" or some similar epithet. Participating in the democratic process by making support known is essential to the JRMMA's potential success.

Depicting patient testimonioals as "anecdotal" has been a prime way for opponents to paint medical marijuana as less than serious. However, Marijuana prohibition itself is based on anecdotes, but unlike the healing experiences shared by patients at the JRMMA hearing, the anecdotes used to somehow attempt to justify marijuana prohibition were fabrications.. 

Wisconsinites cannot allow a combination of Legislator's timidity and attempts at intimidation by a vocal minority of opponents to obscure the fact that passing the JRMMA is the will of the people, in addition to being morally, scientifically and ethically correct.

Emblazoned in gold in the ceiling of the Governor's Conference Room in the Capitol is the phrase, "The Will of the People is the Law of the Land."

If you are interested in exercising the "Will of the People", please join the Wisconsin Medical Cannabis Community for a Medical Marijuana Lobby Day & Memorial for Patients on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, beginning at noon in the State Capitol's first floor rotunda. After a program memorializing the late WI medical cannabis patient lobbyist Mary Powers, attendees will visit their State Asxembly Representative and State Senator's offices to state their support for passing the JRMMA. Those who cannot make are urged to call their lawmakers and enlist others in doing so.

JRMMA supporters will also be gathering at the Capitol six days later, for Gov. Jim Doyle's final State of the State Address on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. in the Assembly Chambers of the State Capitol. Deatils TBA.

Make an effort each day to, as Jacki says "Just do Something" to help make sure this dream is not lost. Speak out now and get everyone you know to help. They may say it is not their issue. Jacki Rickert had the appropriate reply to that claim at the Nov. 16 press conference for the JRMMA:

"Everyone knows someone who would benefit if the law were changed, a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, someone. We're all in this together, every single one of us, whether we thought this was our cause or not our cause, it's all of ours cause." -- Jacki Rickert, Nov. 16, 2009, State Capitol press conference.