Cancer patient Jason Glaspie speaks
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MADISON: In a voice vote, the Dane County Board unanimously voted Thursday night to place a Medical Marijuana Advisory Referendum on county ballots for the Nov. 2 general election. Thursday’s vote sets up the first-ever vote in Dane County on medical marijuana.
The resolution was sponsored by District 6 Supervisor John Hendrick, who was joined by 12 cosponsors. It had previously passed out of the board’s Executive Committee on July 8 on a unanimous 6-0 vote.
The vote means that on Nov. 2, all Dane County ballots will carry this question:
"Should the Wisconsin Legislature enact legislation allowing residents with debilitating medical conditions to acquire and possess marijuana for medical purposes if supported by their physician?"
Four people spoke in support including Madison NORML board members Jason Glaspie, a cancer patient and Marine vet, Charles Wachtel, speaking on behalf of veterans and Gary Storck. Storck included this in his remarks:
"It goes without saying that Medical marijuana is healthcare. Had the Jacki Rickert MMA passed, it would have provided thousands of Wisconsinites with enhanced health care at no cost to the state. Some may say this issue belongs before the state legislature rather than the County Board. But it is a local issue and it gets even more local when the unthinkable happens and you or a loved one or friend has an accident or gets sick and nothing the doctors offer helps. This is about freedom of choice, quality of life and living one’s life with dignity".
Several supervisors joined sponsor Hendrick in speaking in support, some citing family members who had turned to it to deal with terminal illness. No one spoke against the resolution.
District 28 Supervisor Kurt Schlicht, a former Wisconsin football player who represents the NW corner of the county including Cross Plains and Mazomanie, was one of the supervisors who endorsed the referendum.
"I'm a recovering alcoholic and addict. I played for the University of Wisconsin. I blew my knee out very badly. I got hooked on pain pills. So I started washing them down with alcohol. I couldn't function on the opiates, and started using cocaine." "I have been sober almost 10 years."
"I stand in support because of my mother. Died of pancreatic cancer. And the last 6 months of her life were so horrific. I am against using drugs to get intoxicated, and all that but I watched my mother die. she was a registered nurse. The marijuana, acquired illegally, gave her an appetite and gave her a littler energy and probably sustained her a few more weeks. It was really intense. So I stand in support, and I'll take it to my constituents and I hope it passes. Thank you.”
Schlicht is in a September Republican primary election to face JRMMA sponsor and 27th District State Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee) this November. His support makes him at least the second Republican State Senate candidate who supports medical marijuana. Longtime medical marijuana supporter Ed Thompson is the other.Thompson, a 2002 Libertarian candidate for WI governor, is attempting to unseat first-term Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma), who opposed the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act despite being Jacki's state senator,
Supervisor Brett Hulsey, a Democratic candidate for the State Assembly seat held by Rep. Spencer Black (D-Madison) also spoke in support, citing how it helped a family member::
"This is sometimes the best medicine"
"I hope we can change the policy and fight back the reefer madness that has stopped this medicine from being available"
After District 25 Supervisor Eileen Bruskewitz of Waunakee, a nurse, stated she supports medical marijuana but felt it was a state issue and not an appropriate board matter, District 32’s Mike Willett, representing Verona and vicinity, responded:
“Thank you Mr. Chair. I often rise to speak at things like this because I don't feel that they are Dane County issues. When this first came up I felt that way. It seemed another thing that we were doing where we were [exercising] power we don't have, and we don't. The more I thought about it I changed my mind and I thought I could support this. I support it because it is putting the question out to the people. and The idea this time of this being a referendum is why I'm supporting this"
Sup. Hendrick then spoke:
"In conclusion, I would just invite all of you to join Representative Vedder to represent our constituents and to represent the opportunity for all of your constituents to vote on this in November and to advise the legislature that they have nothing to fear from the people of Wisconsin if they decide to pass a bill to legalize medical marijuana."
A vote was then called, and the resolution passed without a single vote against. Sup. Hendrick also stated he would be forwarding the resolution to the Wisconsin Association of Counties to encourage other County Boards to follow suit.
Comments
thank you all on the board..i also agree that this should be on the wisconsin ballet..but this is a good start to ending the suffering some of us live with daily. i just hope that we dont see the insanity that is enveloping ither state municipallities where they seem to b just looking and stalling trying to 'rewrite' laws that only prevent us from a place to obtain legally, our medicine..and i truly hope that those 'recreational users dont abuse this system and jepardize it for those of us who truly have no real options...again my praise to your open mindedness...thank you
For those in counties outside of Dane, the Wisconsin counties association should have the language of this measure that Dane is using available to all counties in Wisconsin.
Please call your County supervisor and ask them to consider sponsoring a measure like this in your county.
Please take action. Wisconsin must prove to legislators that we want this.
I'm extremely disappointed in the Great State of Wisconsin for not straight out beating California to the headlines and legalizing marijuana. I however, am against the selling of marijuana. Marijuana should not be a commodity advertised for sale. Marijuana should be legal to smoke, legal to grow, and illegal to sell. The blatant selling and profiteering of this easily grown plant would make me sicker than a terminally ill marijuana user wishing to make their own decisions on what they put into their bodies before they die. It's normal to want to make those decisions for yourself based on what you enjoy and don't enjoy. People should not hide behind the veil of medical marijuana to get their foot in the door to legalization. Don't be a coward.
Why does our state suffer the economic consequences of prohibition? Why does a quarter of a billion dollars get sucked out of our local state economy and sent to outside producers of marijuana on an ANNUAL BASIS? It is a travesty that our legislator do not see the pressing need to retain these hard earned dollars with-in our STATE borders. Face the facts 37% of 20-40 year olds smoke marijuana and purchase on a regular basis from outsiders who are more than happy to supply our appetite for marijuana. Take a look around at your local head shop / adult video store and look at the clientel purchasing marijuana pipes. It spans the ages, there are grandma's in there purchasing pipes. The underground market is alive and well and unstoppable to law enforcement. Enact laws now that will stem the tide or continue to enrich the lives of people who do not care about our laws. VOTE NOW AND CHANGE OUR ANTIQUATED LAWS
I have chronic migraines, headaches, and back pain. I am allergic to opiates. I want pot. I don't want to be a criminal.
Also, despite the opposition, many people use pot. There is a moral obligation to classify and regulate pot. It is a drug, it does have interactions with other medications.
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