On Saturday April 10th (1:20PM – 4:20PM), NORML (www.winorml.org) and IMMLY (www.immly.org) bring the T.H.C. Tour or “Talking Hemp and Cannabis Tour” to Appleton, as various state supporters of hemp, marijuana and medical cannabis activists travel to the Fox Valley and surrounding areas for a weekend of events (check your local listings). The focus of the Saturday event, taking place in the Appleton Public Library’s meeting room, is to teach the community about the past, present and future of hemp and cannabis in Wisconsin. Featured speakers will include Americans for Safe Access Ambassador (www.safeaccessnow.org) Jay Selthofner and L.E.A.P’s (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition / www.leap.cc) Mr. James Gierach.
Industrial Hemp may soon be grown again in Wisconsin (Assembly Bill 206). Come learn about the versatility of the hemp plant. What if hemp can provide food, clothing, shelter, fuels and energy; could hemp help turn Wisconsin green and help heal our local economy? Can a revenue source for the state, county and county sheriff, Wisconsin municipalities, public schools and veteran affairs hospitals be developed from the hemp and cannabis plants? Come discuss and share knowledge of this misunderstood plant.
As the legislation year comes to an end the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act (Assembly Bill 554 / Senate Bill 368) is still alive and growing. Since the 1970s the race has been on to duplicate nature with synthetic marijuana medicines and since the 1980s marijuana based medicines have been available by doctors and patients state wide. Learn about research available, read the latest studies, understand the research obstruction behind medical cannabis and current forms of FDA medications available.
Find out where our legislation stands on the current Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act (Assembly Bill 554) and Assembly Bill 206, be informed about what the Medical Marijuana Act is set to accomplish, learn opposition against both bills, and most importantly, find out how you can get involved.
The Appleton Library meeting room accommodates 250 and several media outlets are expected. If you or your organization would like to be involved or if you would like to volunteer to help, please do not hesitate to contact Angee at angee@winorml.org and please visit www.jrmma.org for more information.
MADISON: In the late 1970′s, Wisconsin and numerous other states took up the issue of medicinal cannabis. In 1979, two bills were introduced, AB 107 and AB 279. Both bills authorized the establishment of therapeutic research programs to provide cannabis to patients. Both bills had hearings and made it to committee.
On July 31, 1979, a hearing was held on AB 279 at the State Capitol, and the late Robert Randall, a fellow glaucoma patient and the first legal federal medical cannabis patient testified in support of the bill. I was in attendance that day but did not testify. My then-State Assembly Representative Steve Leopold, testified on my behalf. The bills did not pass that session, but the Legislature took it up again the next session.
Wisconsin then passed a bipartisan medicinal cannabis law in 1981, L.B. 697. LB 697 cleared the State Assembly on Feb. 23, 1982 by a 77-19 margin. On March 23, 1982 it passed the State Senate by a nearly unanimous 32-1 vote.
MADISON: On Friday April 2, Wisconsin Radio Network carried a report, Medical marijuana bill burns out, citing comments by Senate sponsor Jon Erpenbach that seemed to paint a bleak picture of the chances of passage.
Sen. Erpenbach’s office told me they felt the article wrongly gave the impression the JRMMA was dead, and that it still had a chance. Supporters were advised to continue with ongoing efforts.
Helping to line up potential votes to pass it both out of committee and in floor votes is at the top of this list. Supporters are continuing to push awareness and education, staging forums and other events.
MADISON – Gary Storck, President of the Wisconsin chapter of the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) announced
today that the group’s television ad supporting AB554/SB368 the Jacki
Rickert Medical Marijuana Act (JRMMA), will begin airing this weekend in
parts of Wisconsin.
“Thanks to some generous donations from $1 on up, Wisconsin NORML will
begin airing a tv ad showing the faces of Wisconsin patients who can
benefit from this compassionate exemption”, said Storck. “Wisconsin
residents who believe its time to protect patients using medical
cannabis from arrest and jail need to contact their state legislators
now or the issue will have to wait until the 2011-2012 session. Many
patients will not live that long. We hope the ad will inspire citizens
to urge the JRMMA be passed, This Bill, This Time!”
Storck, who appears at the beginning and end of the 30-second commercial
is a longtime Wisconsin medical cannabis patient and advocate as well as
the director of communications for the Wisconsin medical cannabis
advocacy group, “is My Medicine Legal YET?” (IMMLY).
The ad was created for the group by Steve Swain of No-Koast Productions.
“There’s no better feeling than helping others who deserve it, but
couldn’t help themselves,” Swain noted.
