Hundreds march on state capitol in Madison for Wisconsin medical marijuana

Thousands marching to capitol in Madison for medical marijuana

(Wisconsin State Journal) Hundreds of medical marijuana supporters rallied Sunday at the State Capitol for legislation that would make Wisconsin the 14th state to legalize cannabis for treatment of debilitating illnesses.

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, are co-sponsors of the newly drafted Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act, which would protect Wisconsin patients from arrest and prosecution and allow them or a designated caregiver to possess and grow a small amount of cannabis for medical use, said Gary Storck, communications director for the nonprofit advocacy organization Is My Medicine Legal YET?

Ken Wolski, Jackie Rickert, and Jim Miller (hear their interview on Show 005 at live.norml.org)

Rickert, a 58-year-old grandmother from Mondovi who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and advanced reflex sympathetic dystrophy, founded IMMLY in 1992. In 1997, she led a 210-mile trek of patients in wheelchairs from Mondovi to Madison to advocate for legal access to marijuana.

Rickert said she began using marijuana to stimulate her appetite after dropping to 68 pounds. “I’m alive because of cannabis,” said Rickert, who now calls herself “a heavyweight” at 93 pounds.

“It’s got to be this bill, this time,” Rickert told supporters Sunday, saying that every time someone else signs on in support of medical marijuana, “It’s like saying, ‘More hope.’”