« Colorado Amenment 44 : Marijuana Use A Safer Choice Than Alcohol | Main | Colorado Springs Business Journal: Marijuana Sales, Distribution Major Part of Local Economy »
October 26, 2006
Shepherd Express: Where's Jacki's Medicine?
Posted by Gary Storck
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Milwaukee's Shepherd Express covered Jacki's fight to get an answer from Mark Green in an article in this week's edition. One small correction, Jacki is not receiving federal medical marijuana supplies. She was approved, but never supplied.
The day before, in Green Bay, Jacki's friends continued to keep up the pressure on Mark Green to reply to Jacki's letter. A small protest was held at the Brett Favre Steakhouse, the site of a small fundraiser for Green. Spotting a sign supporting medical marijuana with the universal "no" symbol over his name on the way in, Green reacted with a comment.
With the election less than two weeks off, will Green give Jacki an answer?
The three surviving members of the Commando Squad click here at Harvest Fest 2006
(photo by carissa)
Source: Shepherd Express click here
Pubdate: October 26, 2006
Author: Shepherd Express Staff
Section: Expresso
WHERE'S JACKI'S MEDICINE?Mark Green doesn't support medical marijuana for seriously ill people
Polls show that an astounding 80% of Wisconsin residents favor legalizing marijuana for seriously or terminally ill patients if a physician supports that course of therapy.
But don't count Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Green as a member of the majority.
Medical marijuana activists have been seeking answers from Green, the son of a South African doctor, about his views on allowing seriously ill people to use marijuana as part of a state-regulated program. When Madison resident Gary Storck wrote to Green last year, Green's letter indicated that he was against legalizing medical marijuana, even for those suffering from debilitating medical conditions. "Smoking marijuana, even in small amounts, carries health risks that exceed any perceived therapeutic effects," Green wrote. "I believe current medical options are superior to legalizing an addictive and dangerous illegal drug."
Jacki Rickert, founder of Is My Medicine Legal Yet? (IMMLY), wasn't satisfied with that answer. "That's a belief, not a scientific fact," she said.
Rickert, who suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Advanced Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, wants to know what these "superior" options are. "Is there something that our doctors and pharmacists don't know?" she said.
Rickert, who uses a wheelchair, has been receiving medical marijuana through a federal program that is now closed to new patients, and firmly believes she's been helped by it.
But Jacki and her fellow "medical marijuana commando squad" haven't gotten an answer from the congressman, so they held a protest at Green's campaign office in Allouez.
It didn't seem to sway the congressman's opinion.
The NBC affiliate in Green Bay quoted Mark Graul, Green's campaign manager, as saying, "I don't think your average Wisconsinite believes we should be legalizing drugs."
But Graul may be mistaken. According to the protesters, they've gotten lots of support from passersby-a honk and waves from a car with three nuns, stories about other folks who've benefited from medical marijuana and signs of support from seniors.
Posted by Gary at October 26, 2006 12:48 AM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)