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Wisconsin Medical Marijuana Legislation

NorthernWiNORML

New member
Forum Discussion Planned for Oshkosh Wisconsin Wed Feb 13th, 2013

Forum Discussion Planned for Oshkosh Wisconsin Wed Feb 13th, 2013

What about Legalizing Marijuana?

When: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 From 6:30pm-8:30pm

Where: OSHKOSH PUBLIC LIBRARY Meeting rooms A and B

A forum on legalizing marijuana is being presented by the Fox Valley ACLU and moderated by Stephen Richards, a criminal justice professor. A discussion panel will include:

HARIPRASAD S. TRIVEDI, M.D., D.M.
http://www.trivgov.com/Thoughts-on-Medical-Marihuana-by-Hari-Trevidi.html

Kirk W. Everson, Wisconsin Criminal Defense Attorney
http://www.erattorney.com/about-us/kirk-w-everson/

Jim Gierach, former Chicago prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and Director with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
http://www.leap.cc/author/JamesE/

Jay Selthofner, Cannabis Consultant with THC Indicastries and NORML Director
http://www.thcindicastries.com/
http://www.jayselthofner.com/

Richard Martin, Executive Director with Northern Wisconsin NORML
http://www.northernwinorml.org/


All are welcome to attend. The event is open to the public and there is no admission.


This forum is being sponsored and funded through donations by the Fox Valley Chapter of the ACLU, Mark of www.TaxThis.org and Selthofner Consulting.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Caley with the Fox Valley ACLU at 920-470-6800 or Jay Selthofner 920-410-2920 for more information.

HOW TO GET TO THE OSHKOSH PUBLIC LIBRARY
(106 Washington Avenue, Oshkosh, WI 54901)
Oshkosh Public Library is located at 106 Washington Avenue one block east of Main Street and four blocks north of the Fox River in downtown Oshkosh. The library's entrance is on the north side of the building facing the parking lot.
 

NorthernWiNORML

New member
The news chopped it up, WBAY Action 2 News used it a variety of stuff throughout the news at 4, 5 and 6pm broadcasts.

http://www.wbay.com/story/21190802/2013/02/13/legalized-marijuana-in-wi

NBC 26 was there and filmed a bunch, but not much coverage

http://www.nbc26.com/news/local/191142651.html


But later that night, WBAY covered the story in full detail with extras and used segments the next morning on the early news casts.

http://www.wbay.com/story/21193269/2013/02/14/public-forum-makes-case-for-legalizing-marijuana-in-wisconsin
 

Banefoul

Member
Budget Cuts Could Force Wisconsin to Decriminalize 25 grams or less by July 1, 2013
Posted on 03/19/2013 by NorthernWINORML.org

In an effort to cut costs, it appears Wisconsin may becoming soft on crime.


Wisconsin Public Defenders Office
The State Public Defender's Office is seeking alternatives to certain crimes. These changes would save the State over $7.7 million in the next biennial budget.

According to "Overview of State Agency Major Request Items", a document put together by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the Public Defender's Office is looking to amend several crimes to become mere ordinance violations. One of those crimes...drug possession.

This is the exact wording of the proposal...

"Amend s. 961.41 of the statutes to provide that all first and second offense drug possession violations, other than for methamphetamine, involving 25 grams or less be reduced to an ordinance violation provided there is reasonable doubt that the individual was not manufacturing, distributing or delivering the drug."

But it doesn't stop there. The Public Defender's Office wants to make further corrections to drug laws by making third time drug possession a misdemeanor charge.

http://www.northernwinorml.org/2013...wisconsin-decriminalize-25-grams-july-1-2013/
 

k-s-p

Well-known member
Veteran
Right, but it looks like they are not decriminalizing growing. I guess it's a step in the right direction however it's a really small step. I so wish that Wisconsin would legalize or decriminalize. It's a beautiful state and the people are just great. I would love to live in or near northern WI second only to the UP of MI or northern MI. Good luck brothers and sisters.
 

Banefoul

Member
Here is something an associate put together for our legislators on lobby day.

Full Legalization Benefits, Savings & Income


Regulating marijuana like alcohol in Wisconsin would result in immediate savings, and it will quickly grow into a major new revenue stream for our state and localities. It will also create jobs and generate millions of dollars for our state's struggling school construction program.
According an economic analysis of Amendment 64 conducted by the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, passage of the initiative would:

initially result in $60 million annually in combined revenue and savings for state and local governments, which could double to more than $100 million within the first five years of implementation;

save local and state law enforcement officials more than $12 million in the first year of operation;

generate $24 million annually in state revenue for the Education program; and

create more than 350 new jobs, the majority of which will be in the construction industry.
Generating millions of dollars for the state, creating new jobs, and supporting our schools is a huge benefit to the state, but it is not the only reason to support regulating marijuana like alcohol. It will also enhance public safety by removing marijuana from the underground market, which is currently steering all of the profits toward drug cartels and other criminal enterprises.

According to the federal government, teen marijuana use has dropped since Colorado began regulating medical marijuana. This is great news, but we want that progress to continue.
By regulating marijuana like alcohol, Wisconsin can:
• Further Reduce Teen Marijuana Use
• Minimize Teens' Access to Marijuana
• Reduce Exposure to More Dangerous Drugs
• Take Sales Out of the Hands of Criminals


• Further Reduce Teen Marijuana Use

According to the latest report from the federal government, marijuana use by Colorado high school students has dropped since our state and its localities began regulating medical marijuana in 2009. This bucks the national trend of increasing teen marijuana use over the past several years. Nationwide, past-30-day marijuana use among high school students climbed from 20.8 percent in 2009, to 23.1 percent in 2011. Meanwhile, in Colorado, it dropped from 24.8 percent to 22 percent.

It was during this same two-year period that Colorado enacted strict state and local regulations on the sale of marijuana for medical purposes, whereas no such regulations were implemented throughout the rest of the country. This suggests that even the partial regulation of marijuana could decrease its availability and use among teens. The Full Legalization Initiative for Wisconsin would regulate marijuana sales across the board for all adults 21 and older, further reducing teen use.

Earlier this year, research on the impact of medical marijuana laws on teen use arrived at a similar conclusion. In a press release about the study issued by the University of Colorado Denver, the researchers said there is “no statistical evidence that legalization increases the probability of [teen] use,” and noted that "the data often showed a negative relationship between legalization and [teen] marijuana use.”

• Minimize Teens' Access to Marijuana

Marijuana prohibition, in which unregulated sales take place in an underground market, is the worst possible policy when it comes to keeping marijuana out of the hands of teens. In fact, there is substantial evidence that it is actually increasing its accessibility to young people. By forcing marijuana into an underground market, we are guaranteeing that sales will be entirely uncontrolled and that the individuals selling it will not ask for ID. Under the Full Legalization Initiative for Wisconsin, marijuana sales will be conducted in a regulated market in which checks for proof of age are mandatory and strictly enforced.

Despite marijuana’s illegal status, teens consistently report that marijuana is universally available, and surveys show high school students across the nation can buy marijuana easier than they can buy alcohol or tobacco. Strictly regulating these legal products and restricting sales to minors have lent to significant decreases in use and availability among teens, and there is little doubt we would see similar results with marijuana.

The High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey released this June by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) highlights the need to regulate marijuana. It found that levels of teen marijuana use are increasing nationwide, whereas levels of alcohol and cigarette use among teens are decreasing. In other words, regulation is working; prohibition is not.

According to the survey, significantly more teens in the United States are using marijuana than cigarettes. Just more than 23 percent of high school students nationwide reported using marijuana within 30 days of taking the latest survey, up from 20.8 percent in 2009. Meanwhile, 18.1 percent reported past-30-day cigarette use, down from 19.5 percent in 2009. Over the past several years, the survey has shown that cigarette use and availability among teens, which had been sharply increasing in the early 1990s, began steadily declining shortly after the 1995 implementation of the "We Card" program, a renewed commitment to strictly restricting the sale of tobacco to young people, along with a focused effort on public education.

It is also worth noting that the latest CDC survey found that, since Colorado began regulating medical marijuana, there has been a significant decline in students reporting that they have been “offered, sold, or given an illegal drug by someone on school property." From 2009 to 2011, it dropped from 22.7 percent to 17.2 percent in 2011, whereas at the national level it increased from 22.7 percent to 25.6 percent. These statistics suggest that not only does the increased regulation of marijuana reduce use among teens; it may actually reduce teens' access to illegal drugs.


• Reduce Exposure to More Dangerous Drugs

By keeping marijuana illegal, we are forcing those who seek it into an underground market where it is sold exclusively by individuals who are willing to break the law. Naturally, some of these individuals will have other illegal products available, including drugs that are far more harmful than marijuana.

“The more users become integrated in an environment where, apart from cannabis, hard drugs can also be obtained, the greater the chance they may switch to hard drugs,” according to a report published in 1997 by the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction. “Separation of the drug markets is therefore essential.”

Full Legalization Initiative for Wisconsin would regulate marijuana and restrict its sale to licensed stores, as we currently do with alcohol. In doing so, it will dramatically reduce consumers’ exposure to harder drugs and their temptation to experiment with them. It will also ensure that consumers know what they are getting when they purchase marijuana. Illegal marijuana dealers are not subject to quality standards, and they are not testing or labeling their products. In a regulated marijuana system, such as that proposed by the Full Legalization Initiative for Wisconsin, marijuana producers and retailers will need to adhere to strict rules and regulations similar to those governing the production and sale of alcohol.




• Take Sales Out of the Hands of Criminals

Marijuana prohibition has relegated the sale of marijuana to criminal enterprises and, increasingly, drug gangs. In doing so, it is exposing many consumers to more harmful people. And since marijuana is illegal, these individuals are unable to rely on law enforcement officials to step in when business-related disputes and incidents occur. All too often, this results in violence that affects not just marijuana dealers and consumers, but the broader communities surrounding them.
Marijuana is also a significant source of income for individuals and groups involved in other criminal activities. For example, much of the violence escalating on the Mexican border revolves around the actions of Mexican drug cartels fighting over profits from marijuana sales. In fact, former U.S. Drug Czar John Walters told the Associated Press in 2008, that marijuana is the biggest source of income for these ruthless narcoterrorist organizations. Whether they are large-scale drug cartels or small-town street gangs, the vast supply and demand surrounding marijuana will ensure they have a constant stream of profits to subsidize other illegal activities. Regulating marijuana like alcohol would eliminate this income source and, in turn, eliminate the violence and turf battles associated with the illegal marijuana market.
Finally, the illegal marijuana market puts money in criminals' pockets and takes it out of taxpayers'. Drug dealers do not collect taxes on their sales, and they do not pay taxes on their income. Under the Full Legalization Initiative for Wisconsin, all sales of marijuana will be subject to state and local sales tax. The General Assembly must also enact an excise tax of up to 15 percent on wholesale sales of non-medical marijuana, the first $40 million of which will be directed to the state's public school construction fund each year.





https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O0MyokpAuphe8yocTNAenOSQzXCgpH0_ymKZCCVSRe0/edit#
 

NorthernWiNORML

New member
May is full of events in Wisconsin! Next one is the Marijuana March in Milwaukee:

Join Southeastern Wisconsin NORML in what will be the largest pro-marijuana-legalization march in the history of Milwaukee! Cures Not Wars March for Marijuana in Milwaukee Wisconsin on Saturday May 4th, 2013.

Meet up at Gordon Park around 2:00PM for music, vending, and discussion with fellow activists.

The march will begin at 2:45PM

The route will be as follows:
East across Locust Ave.
South down Oakland Ave.
West across North Ave.
North up Humboldt Blvd. back to the park

The route is approximately 2.5 miles long, and will probably take between an hour and an hour and a half.

Live music before and after the march will be performed by Richard Cranium Sideshow!
https://www.facebook.com/richardcraniumsideshow

The Southeastern Wisconsin NORML Chapter are also hoping to have other activities before and/or after the march, so stay tuned for more details on the Facebook Event and like the Southeastern Wisconsin NORML Facebook Page.
 

NorthernWiNORML

New member
June was crazy busy with tons of stuff going on...even some legislative issues, but not all positive unfortunately for Wisconsinites.... Assembly Bill 164 and Senate Bill 150 just might become reality......

Otherwise...July does have some meetings for the Madison NORML crew, they meet on the 2nd Monday of the month in Madison and we heard they are taking the 4th Monday of the month meeting on the road...no announcement as to where yet, but stay tuned.

Southeastern Wisconsin NORML is rockin..with monthly meetings, concerts and variety of events...they are out of the Racine area but regularly perform activism in the greater Milwaukee area.

Northern Wisconsin NORML has a public meeting coming up on Thursday July 11th in Appleton at the Harmony Cafe. Northern Wisconsin NORML is a regional chapter for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and holds regular public monthly meetings on the 2nd Thursday of the month from 4:30 until approximately 7pm in the Harmony Cafe located at 223 E College Ave, Appleton. Fellowship hour is conducted downstairs as we gather at 4:30pm, eat and chat as an informal group; while the formal meeting starts at 5:30pm in the upstairs third floor meeting room.

For more information, do not hesitate to contact the chapter directly at 920-931-4207 or via email at NorthernWiNORML@gmail.com

Those interested in a board of directors, field activist or advisory position with the chapter, please do not hesitate to forward a resume and/or cover letter of interest and at least two references to the chapter via email.

August is shaping up to be a eventful month already...remember our monthly meeting on the 2nd Thursday of the month...August Meeting will be on Thursday August 8th. Board of Director also meets on the last Tuesday of the month!


The chapter also is planning to table and have an informational booth at The Big Green Fest on August 17th in Kimberly, Wisconsin. We tabled at this event last year with great success and are looking forward to making this a yearly event.

WE ARE IN NEED OF FUNDING FOR A NEW EXHIBITOR TENT, TABLES, CHAIRS AND ADDITIONAL PRINT MATERIALS. We expect new legislation to be introduced in Wisconsin in the fall of 2013 and we would like to go back out on the THC Tour, specifically to target districts.

Northern Wisconsin NORML is preparing to have a live auction during a showing of "Breaking the Taboo". This event is planed for August 24th from 1pm until 5pm in Appleton at the Harmony Cafe.

Auction items and more information to come!

Narrated by Morgan Freeman, "Breaking the Taboo" uncovers the UN sanctioned war on drugs, charting its origins and its devastating impact on countries like the USA, Colombia and Russia. Featuring prominent statesmen including Presidents Clinton and Carter, the documentary follows The Global Commission on Drug Policy on a mission to break the political taboo and expose the biggest failure of global policy in the last 50 years.
 
Wisconsin NORML, Madison NORML and anonymous friends are going to match dollar to dollar donations up to $1000 between 4:20 today Jan 20, ending after the Madison NORML meeting on Mon, Jan 27.

We need everyone to get the word out as soon as possible and keep spreading the news throughout the week. Every donation helps, please do what you can.

Please share far and wide on social media, put up on websites, forums, and share with friends and family and the news media. https://rally.org/f/5Ar94lW3pdj is the link.
 
*Jan 22: Lobby Day

*Jan 22: State of the State – NORML has permit

*Feb 12: Doctor Day at the Capitol – NORML applied for permit

*March 22: Controlled Substances Board Meeting 9:00am 1400 East Wash Rm 121 C

*April 15: UW Legalization Event
 
Wisconsin lawmakers have put forth several bills to address racist and outdated prohibition laws. It's time to debate this legislation and to schedule public hearings without delay.


SB363/AB480 provides legal protection for medical cannabis patients who use it to treat symptoms of illness such as cancer, glaucoma and PTSD under the order of a practitioner. SB363 is held up in the Health and Human Services committee, chaired by Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Waukesha) who is a nurse and says she believes there is no medicinal value to marijuana and will not give the bill a public hearing. AB480 is held up in the Health Committee, chaired by Rep. Erik Severson (R-Star Prairie) who has stated he will not give the bill a public hearing.


AB638 is bi-partisan legislation which would authorize the growing and processing of industrial hemp. Hemp in this bill is defined as having lower than 0.3% THC. Wisconsin was a top producer of hemp in the 1900s. Wisconsin fields grow feral hemp to this day. Hemp mill artifacts can be found throughout the state. AB638 has been referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection chaired by Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) who earlier this session introduced legislation to harshen marijuana possession penalties.


AB726 is bi-partisan legislation which would define CBD separately from THC. The CBD extract is allowed to be dispensed by a practitioner for the treatment of a seizure disorder. It is rumored that an amendment to this legislation to allow people to acquire the oil across state lines via a DEA IND program will be put forth, but expansion of the conditions will not be considered. It was introduced by Rep. Robb Kahl (D-Monona) and a hearing was held in the Children and Families on 2/12 (http://www.wiseye.org/Programming/VideoArchive/EventDetail.aspx?evhdid=8492), chaired by legislation co-sponsor Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa). The bill does not have a Senate version at this time.



LRB3671 was introduced by Rep. Melissa Sargent (D-Madison) and as she stated in a letter sent to colleagues "would create a regulatory framework for marijuana possession and distribution. It would also standardize age of use as well as penalties for operating while under the influence."


Instead of wasting tens of millions of taxpayer dollars a year fighting a never ending "war on marijuana," Wisconsin lawmakers should take this opportunity to give the People what they want: patient access to safe medicine without being a criminal and sensible marijuana laws.


Wisconsin NORML
www.winorml.org
 
Wisconsin Marijuana Billboard:
http://ral.ly/t/1387637

Wisconsin reform organizations, working together, have worked to set up this goal.
We hope to gain your support in working towards putting up a billboard in the Waukesha/Brookfield/West Allis area, near districts of Sen Vukmir and Sen Lazich.

Medical Marijuana is supported by a majority of Wisconsin voters, but this medicine is being blocked by politicians. Patients are needlessly suffering. Your donation can make a big difference.

The primary goal is to put pressure on politicians who are against medical cannabis, and this is a very prominent spot for billboards, near two committee member districts. A secondary goal is to have residual effect on 2014 elections.

To achieve this goal, we are hoping to top $7500 through crowdfunding. We hope to run the billboard for 4-6 weeks before the November 2014 election.

We hope you will donate to this campaign.

The billboard will be digital, present a picture of Lazich and Vukmir with text of "Who is stopping medical cannabis in Wisconsin? Sen Lazich is... Sen Vukmir is..." It will have reference to SB363.
Please send questions to madison@winorml.org

Thanks,
Wisconsin NORML
The Ben Masel Project
Madison NORML
SE Wisconsin NORML
Wisconsin ASA
 
Oct 3-5 in Madison, WI is the 44th
wow.gif
Annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival

http://www.madisonhempfest.com

It's going to be great this year. Two state representatives will speak on Sunday after the march.:woohoo:
 
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