WI's Gerrymandered Republican majority ignore and enjoy peoples pain in opposition to Medical Marijuana.

Take the issue of medical and recreational marijuana and climate change.

Conservative voters don't care if they're wrong about really important things. Even when published peer-reviewed scientific journals show that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree* change is happening. You'd think they would at least play it safe and hedge their bets a little, just in case, right? Nope, science is wrong.

They won't believe 97 percent of scientists on climate change, but say they want to wait until there is enough science to determine if marijuana is safe? Will "97 percent safe" be enough? Didn't think so. 

Marijuana Science Hypocrisy: Isn't it funny how those same voters don't mind letting our gerrymandered Republican majority insist on getting more scientific research done before letting medical and recreational marijuana become legal in Wisconsin? Nevermind border states like Illinois and Michigan will soon pour vast amounts of pot into our state, costly us massive amounts of taxpayer money policing and prosecuting our friends and neighbors, turning them into criminals. 

Conservative voters don't seem bothered by the following mindless nonsensical comment by Rep. Vos grouping a bunch of unrelated issues as a reason to keep pot illegal. See if you can follow Vos' logic...I couldn't. Makes you wonder what he's smoking:

Rep. Robin Vos argued Illinois residents are "fleeing" the state. "I think if all they've got to offer people is high taxes, high regulations, lower home values and marijuana, that should not be an economic growth strategy. So I'd much rather be Wisconsin, where we have more jobs than we can fill, rising wages, home values that are increasing and no recreational marijuana."

Actual Research is all the proof you need: The latest issue of AARP had an important article detailing what we currently know, and why many states and one northern border country has made it legal:

1. It’s like a trip to an adults-only candy store, loaded with tinctures and oils, vape pens and “flower” (dried marijuana), mouth sprays and skin patches, fancy chocolate truffles, cinnamon-scented cookies, and sodas, balms and lotions, all laced with the active ingredients in cannabis. 

2. Scientists can’t buy it at a dispensary and study it in most labs. That research gap means only a handful of the common uses of cannabis are backed by substantial evidence from human clinical trials, according to a rigorous 2017 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM).


3. More than 600,000 Americans turn to cannabis for relief from chronic pain — and the scientific evidence for its effectiveness is substantial. In gold-standard randomized clinical trials of people who had agonizing health concerns — peripheral neuropathy (nerve pain from diabetes), spinal cord injury, HIV or complex regional pain syndrome, cancer, chemotherapy, muscle and joint problems, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis — cannabis reduced pain by 40 percent, according to the 2017 NASEM report.
4. In a recent Canadian study, cannabis even soothed arthritic lab rats. Surprisingly, there’s little evidence (yet) from human studies for the most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis — the wear-and-tear joint disease affecting 50 percent of adults age 65-plus. Clinical trials are underway. But who’s waiting? Arthritis was the top reason older adults used cannabis in a 2019 Colorado survey, followed by back pain. Overall, 79 percent said it helped. BOTTOM LINE: It seems to help.

The '60s and '70's Boomers Loved Pot: Many of the stories I've read about recreational marijuana seem to have forgotten how boomers saw pot as a normal fun thing to do. Maybe that's why seniors are once again, into it. I gave up smoking it because it made me tired, but even that has changed now, with the development of non-drowsy marijuana: 

1. No surprise that across the nation, 58 percent of Americans 55 and older now say smoking pot is morally acceptable, according to a 2018 Gallup poll. Over 25 percent of Americans 50 and older — some 29 million — live in one of the 11 states or the District of Columbia where recreational pot is legal.

Still, I can't imagine working out "stoned."

2. It's way out in the open as a “cannabis culture” has erupted, with cannabis-themed dinner parties, yoga sessions, art classes, vacation tours and even a night out at a local tavern.

3. In Oregon, where recreational marijuana became legal in 2015, you can sample edibles infused with cannabis at bakeries, restaurants and private dinners featuring “cannabis cuisine” — then work off the calories by getting “lit and fit” at a stoned exercise class.

4. "I'll have infused recipes — like lemon bars with a cannabis strain that derives its lemony scent from a compound called limonene,” notes Laurie Wolf, 65, the author of several cannabis cookbooks, who hosts dinner parties at her floating home near Portland. “But I'll also do an entire cannabis meal where I will infuse the starters with an uplifting strain and end with something a touch more sedating."

5. In one recent survey of Colorado residents age 60 to 94, a third said they smoke, vape or munch recreationally (versus medically). “At times, I have just as many older people taking the tour as younger people,” says guide Alayna Adair, 32, of Denver-based Colorado Cannabis Tours. “We stop at dispensaries and growing facilities, and people definitely indulge on the bus. I've had older people celebrate their birthday here. It's a real party.”

Like Illegal Yellow Oleomargarine, WI GOP forces Border Sale of Illinois Marijuana, making Criminals of us all.

Here we go again.

Just like in the days of illegally colored yellow oleomargarine, Republicans are about to make law abiding Wisconsinites illegal smugglers of completely legal recreational marijuana from Illinois (coincidentally, WI went to Michigan for oleo and soon...pot). Ok, so who needs civics lesson more, high school students or Republican legislators? After checking out the stories below, anyone want this insane nightmare to begin again?

During margarine’s long prohibition, the product was variously outlawed, taxed, prohibited from being colored and required to be colored pink (until “pink” was ruled unconstitutional).

Walker's Failed Legacy continues...: Add marijuana, recreational or medical, to the disgraced legacy of former governor Scott Walker, and another lesson we didn't learn with yellow colored oleomargarine.

Despite the entire nation of Canada and the growing list of states legalizing marijuana, Walker is convinced that our long history of arresting fiendish users of pot is reason enough to pack our prisons. Walker compares pot to the opioid epidemic, calling it a "gateway drug," similar to the way Dragnet's Sgt. Joe Friday used to say back in 1967:

Surprise, the police aren't going to support legal pot? So Walker wants us to return to a similar oleo-like rush to the Illinois border turning average Wisconsinites into criminals? We can afford that too? 

Speaking of opioids, want to partially solve that problem? Not Walker, Sen. Scott Fitzgerald and Rep. Robin Vos, who have relentlessly run away from real world problems. Republicans again want to just add to the problem:

Making medical and recreational marijuana available may be one way to help fight the opioid epidemic. Two new studies published yesterday found availability of marijuana is linked with lower rates of opioid prescription rates, our colleague Christopher Ingraham reports.

The first study found the passage of medical and recreational marijuana laws led to reductions in Medicaid opiate prescription rates of 5.88 percent and 6.38 percent, respectively.

That's a huge saving, and yet Republican "protectors of taxpayer money" are again willing to waste lots of taxpayer money staying true to their backward principles.

President Trump called on researchers to “come up with a painkiller that’s not so addictive.” The latest studies suggest that such a painkiller already exists — it is called marijuana, and it is legal for medical use in 29 states and for recreational use in 9 states plus DC.

The second study found that at the state level, medical marijuana laws were connected to an 8.5 percent drop in the number of daily opioid doses filled under Medicare Part D, a 14.4 percent reduction for states with medical marijuana dispensaries and a 6.9 percent drop in states that allowed pot cultivation at home. That’s compared with states that don’t have medical marijuana laws.

Illinois Recreational Pot in opens in Jan. 2020: Like our parents did for yellow oleomargarine, head for the borders folks: 

The Hill: Marijuana use among college students spiked to its highest rate in 35 years, according to a study published Thursday by the University of Michigan. The study showed that in 2018, 43 percent of full-time college students ages 19-22 reported using marijuana at least once in the previous 12 months.

JS: In late June, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law legalizing the recreational use of cannabis that lowers the barrier of entry to the industry … Illinois’ legislation the “gold standard” in large part because it lowers the capital barrier that some ran into. The law includes a cannabis business development fund of roughly $30 million to provide low-interest loans for those directly impacted by past cannabis laws. These “social equity” applicants include people or their families who have been arrested or convicted of a cannabis-related offense … juvenile arrest qualifies them as a social equity applicant.

Under recreational legalization, the cost of entry is as low as $5,000 with a social equity discount. ”...the owners (will) reflect the diversity of the state rather than deep-pocketed people who can afford really expensive licenses.”

State Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, says such a move could bring in $138 million a year. Sargent’s latest bill, cannabis business licenses in Wisconsin would be divided into five categories — producer, processor, distributor, retailer and microbusiness — but, as in most states, a business could hold multiple licenses. The bill does not include provisions for social equity applicants or disproportionately impacted areas but does call for discounted licenses fees for small businesses.

Must See: Dragnet 67's Joe Friday gets Schooled: What still boggles the mind is how actor Jack Webb, aka Joe Friday, came up with the brilliant script that argues for legalized pot in the show clip below. Webb even made Friday agree with some of the arguments. This is amazing stuff...WATCH:

Republicans oppose Legalized Recreational and Medical Marijuana...just because!

The permanent gerrymandered Republican majority representing a minority of voters just aren't buying what most Wisconsinites are saying...

The budget GOP legislators approved rejected Gov. Tony Evers' proposal to legalize medical marijuana and decriminalize the possession of small amounts of weed. 

You gotta wonder who it is Republicans are talking too about the evils of marijuana...

59 percent of voters say marijuana use should be legal, while 36 percent say it should not be legal. A substantial majority, 83 percent, say use of marijuana for medical purposes with a doctor’s prescription should be legal, with 12 percent saying it should not be.

It's not like people ever stopped smoking pot! But if there's is even one problem...:

Rep. Robin Vos said the governor's plan "created more problems than they created opportunities,” noting some Republicans see legalizing medicinal use as “a slippery slope toward recreational.” 

Vos dismissed the notion that other Midwestern states’ moves to legalize recreational marijuana would change the calculus in Wisconsin. “I think if all they’ve got to offer people is high taxes, high regulations, lower home values and marijuana, that should not be an economic growth strategy,” he said of Illinois in comments to reporters Friday. 

Again, 59 percent of Wisconsinites polled want pot legalized:

Rep. Samantha Kerkman said Illinois’ actions on recreational marijuana are different than what the state’s northern neighbor would consider. “I don’t think Wisconsin and the Legislature are (on board) with recreational, just in talking to my colleagues,” the Salem Republican said.

Rep. Amy Loudenbeck agreed, writing in an email the medical marijuana bill is “a slippery slope to full statewide recreational legalization which is a bridge too far for me right now.”

Here's the breakdown:

Cannabis legalization, with 59% support overall, had major opposition from Republicans, with only 32% saying it should be legal and 65% saying it should remain illegal. However among those who say they lean Republican, Independents, Democrats and those who lean Democrat all supported legalization from 59-79%. Medical cannabis had strong majority support in every demographic.

Scott Walker like Joe Friday, claims Marijuana gateway drug as states and Canada make it legal.

Well, well, well, it appears some Republicans like Scott Walker are still dragging out the Dragnet 67 Joe Friday speeches about the danger of marijuana, the "gateway drug."

Yawn, it all seems a bit insane doesn't it, especially after an entire nation like Canada just legalized recreational marijuana. Besides, the 80-year-old ban in the states has been a disaster.

But I remembered vividly one particular Dragnet 67 episode, the Big High, where two marijuana users made the case for legalization...even predicted how their generation would finally change the law. Watch in wonder how every reason used to pass recreational pot today completely destroyed Joe Friday arguments. And yet, Scott Walker said the same things tonight during the gubernatorial debate (there's a short clip of that is at the end). Oh, and Tony Evers said he would seriously consider making it legal:



Here are the latest stats from Business Insider:

Remember, just like agricultural hemp, Walker Republicans were just too uptight to move forward, missing out on another whopping big money industry. Maybe they'll change their minds in the next desperate election:

Legal marijuana sales exploded to $9.7 billion in North America in 2017, according to a report from Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics. That represents a 33% increase over 2016, shattering previous expectations about how quickly the marijuana industry could grow in the face of federal prohibition.

The report also predicted the legal marijuana market will reach $24.5 billion in sales — a 28% annual compound growth rate — by 2021, as more state-legal markets come online.

Support for marijuana legalization reached new highs in 2017. A Gallup poll showed that 64% of Americans favor legalization, and a majority of Republicans back it for the first time.

Walker again ignores Legalized Marijuana Job Creation and Economic Boost!!!

No this wasn't a scene out of Dragnet '67. This was Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in the 21st-century spouting Sgt. Joe Friday commentary that has long since been disproved. Legalization in other states has proved otherwise. Upfront with Mike Gousha:

Here's Joe Friday's amazing and now classic rant. Note: I've watched many of those old shows and oddly, Dragnet offered up counter-arguments that turned out to be right. Anyway, isn't alcohol the real gateway drug?:

Just like hemp, Walker is again behind the curve. It wasn't long ago when the Republican legislature killed any attempt to allow hemp production, even as clothing and grocery store shelves filled up with hemp derived fashion and food products:

February 23, 2010 – Steps to legalize industrial hemp in Wisconsin are facing Republican opposition. All Republicans on the Assembly Agriculture Committee recently voted against a measure passed by the Democratic majority, which would allow Wisconsin farmers to apply for permits to grow hemp.

State Representative Al Ott (R-Forest Junction) says there are worries about the drug connotation of hemp, which could tarnish Wisconsin’s image. He says there’s also no infrastructure to support a market for the product. Ott says he understands farmers are struggling in the tough economy, but he doesn’t feel it’s time to dilute the agriculture industry.

Gateway Drug to Homicides? In a state that has legalized marijuana, no one expected this...Scott Walker, you might wanna pick up on this:

NBC4i: The Southern Colorado Cannabis Council responded to May's comments with the statement: "Study after study has shown that there is no correlation between cannabis use and violent crime." The group is asking May to retract his statement or prove there's a connection between marijuana and homicides.

For me, the research I've conducted have led me to this; marijuana is the gateway drug to sleep. 

Legalized Marijuana reduces Opioid Addiction Rates and Government Spending!!!

It's both frustrating and amusing to watch Republicans cut every business tax they can find and then offer taxpayer handouts on top of that. And yet, what Republicans ideologically steer clear of is one of the biggest drags on business; employer health insurance. If they really wanted to help business, they could pass a nationwide all-payer system that takes insurance off their backs completely.

Business Paying More for Opioid epidemic, which isn't doing anything to help control the rising cost of insurance. It'll cost large employers $2.6 billion a year;

On average, inpatient and outpatient treatment for opioid addiction and overdose added about $26 per person to the annual cost of health benefits coverage for large employers in 2016, up from about $3 in 2004.

Marijuana Reduces Opioid Addiction Rate: Wrong way Republicans are also against legalizing marijuana because...well, Dragnet 67's Joe Friday said so. It was laughably wrong then and still is:



Republicans again want to just add to the problem:

Making medical and recreational marijuana available may be one way to help fight the opioid epidemic. Two new studies published yesterday found availability of marijuana is linked with lower rates of opioid prescription rates, our colleague Christopher Ingraham reports.

The first study found the passage of medical and recreational marijuana laws led to reductions in Medicaid opiate prescription rates of 5.88 percent and 6.38 percent, respectively.

That's a huge saving, and yet Republicans are again willing to waste lots of money staying true to their backward principles:

The Trump administration has taken an adversarial stance toward states that have legalized marijuana in some fashion. The Justice Department rescinded an Obama-era policy of noninterference for state-legal marijuana operations, and the attorney general has expressed an interest in prosecuting medical marijuana providers.

Overspending is not the issue for Republicans. They've got outdated cliches to cling to:

President Trump called on researchers to “come up with a painkiller that’s not so addictive.” The latest studies suggest that such a painkiller already exists — it is called marijuana, and it is legal for medical use in 29 states and for recreational use in 9 states plus the District.

The second study found that at the state level, medical marijuana laws were connected to an 8.5 percent drop in the number of daily opioid doses filled under Medicare Part D, a 14.4 percent reduction for states with medical marijuana dispensaries and a 6.9 percent drop in states that allowed pot cultivation at home. That’s compared with states that don’t have medical marijuana laws.

“The studies are the latest in a long line of research showing that marijuana availability is associated with reductions in opiate use and misuse,” Christopher writes. The first study, by Hefei Wen of the University of Kentucky and Jason Hockenberry of Emory University, is significant for finding a link between recreational marijuana and opiate use, as most previous research has focused on medical marijuana.

"There is widespread agreement among doctors and public-health experts that marijuana is effective at treating chronic pain," Christopher writes. “These findings suggest that medical and adult-use marijuana laws have the potential to reduce opioid prescribing for Medicaid enrollees, a segment of population with disproportionately high risk for chronic pain, opioid use disorder, and opioid overdose.”

Two Conservative states sue, try to stop Colorado's pot law, saying they can't protect their borders from pot importation.

Let the state’s do their own thing say Republicans. Get the federal government out of our way...

...not this time though. Conservative governors and AG's are now trying to interfere with another states right to have legalized pot. Hypocritical? Big surprise.

Even more outrageous, they apparently don’t want to or can’t “defend their own borders” like good Republicans are supposed to do. This is another example of how flip floppy hypocritical Republicans are about their unwavering principles.

AP: Colorado's top law enforcement official promises to vigorously defend the state's historic law legalizing marijuana after Nebraska and Oklahoma asked the U.S. Supreme Court to declare it unconstitutional, saying the drug is freely flowing into neighboring states.

The two states filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to prevent Colorado from enforcing (a law allowing) recreational marijuana for adults over 21. The complaint says the measure runs afoul of federal law and therefore violates the Constitution's supremacy clause, which says federal laws trump state laws.

Yes, while state after state pass some kind of marijuana legalization law, the few Republican states that are bucking the trend now want to use the big federal government to reverse that inevitable social transition.
  

Make up your mind, do you like big government or don’t you?  

And they can't control their borders? It’s always someone else’s fault isn't it? Funny, Republicans weren't like this when lax gun law states were pouring firearms into more regulated liberal states. Gee, what changed?

"This contraband has been heavily trafficked into our state," Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning said at a news conference in Lincoln. "While Colorado reaps millions from the sale of pot, Nebraska taxpayers have to bear the cost." Bruning, a Republican, blamed U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for failing to enforce the federal law's ban on drugs in Colorado.

But the federal government dealt with this already, and besides, where’s the proof:

In a policy statement last year, the U.S. Justice Department laid out eight federal law enforcement priorities that states need to protect if they want to authorize "marijuana-related conduct." They include keeping marijuana in-state. The suit doesn't contain statistics to support the claim.

Scott Walker screws up Medical Marijuana law!!! Parents with Children suffering Seizures forced to Move out of state.

Just when you thought Scott Walker had a moment of compassion for the parents of children seeking medical marijuana for the treatment of their seizures, we’re now finding out it was a phony publicity stunt for the upcoming election.

Only a sociopathic monster would pull a stunt like this:  

WKOW: A bill to legalize a marijuana compound called cannabidiol, or CBD, passed the state legislature and was signed into law by Governor Scott Walker in April with quite a bit of fanfare.  But an amendment added to the bill to get it through the Senate says CBD can only be prescribed by a doctor who first gets a waiver from the U.S. Food and Drug and Administration (FDA), because the agency has yet to approve its use. 

This was a cruel and intentional poison pill, and Republicans knew it. They used the bill to appear sympathetic.

Researching how the other 21 states dispense medical marijuana, doctors don't "prescribe" CBD because of federal law, so what they do is “recommend” or offer a certification for the patient to receive the compound. The patient then applies with the state, receives a card, and either grows marijuana or gets their “recommended” dose from a state regulated dispensary.

That's how easy it would have been. And guess who supports this hideous con? Scott Walker. See if Walker’s convoluted comment makes any sense to you, because I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around all this:

"That was not something that was raised to us," said Gov. Walker when 27 News … But Gov. Walker still thinks requiring physicians to get an FDA waiver before prescribing CBD is a necessary precaution. "Particularly when we're talking about the focal point being largely driven by kids, while we wanted to make sure the offering was available, that it is done so in a way that's safe and manageable as well," said Gov. Walker. 

 Absolute bullshit. This really is beyond words. Here's WKOW's Greg Neumann:

Amylynne Santiago-Volker, a Dane County mother whose 9 year-old son Nic suffers up to 100 seizures per day, says she doesn't know of any family in Wisconsin that has been able to successfully get CBD to treat their children.  She says some of those families have already moved to other states such Colorado and California, where medical marijuana is legal and as a result CBD is being prescribed.

Big Government Authoritarians Ryan, Senesenbrenner and Duffy vote to federally prosecute anyone carrying out state medical marijuana laws in 26 states.

Not only would Representatives Paul Ryan, James Sensenbrenner and Sean Duffy try to stop progress, but they would also like to make medical decisions for everyone else. I thought they were against government interference in medical decisions? Roll Call:

STATES’ RIGHTS, MEDICAL MARIJUANA: The House adopted an amendment to HR 4660 (FISCAL 2015 COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCEBUDGET) that would prohibit federal law-enforcement authorities from interfering with the administration of state medical-marijuana laws. Marijuana possession, cultivation and distribution are prosecuted as criminal offenses under federal law. But at least 26 states and the District of Columbia allow the drug to be used legally for medicinal purposes, and two states have legalized it for recreational use as well.

A yes vote was to bar federal intervention in the administration of state marijuana laws: Pocan, Kind, Moore, Petri, Ribble

Voting no against a nationwide movement of marijuana acceptance and to make medical decisions for Americans by Washington bureaucrats? Those bureaucrats are…Paul Ryan, James Sensenbrenner, Sean Duffy.

Backward Wisconsin House Representatives Deny Medical Marijuana to Veterans with PTSD.

Despite the successful treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder with medical marijuana, our house Republicans are still trying to get over the shock of old Cheech and Chong movies:

VETERANS’ USE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA: House Republicans refused to allow the Veterans Health Administration to counsel patients on using medical marijuana for ailments such as chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and nine allow it to be prescribed for treating PTSD. A yes vote was to allow VHA doctors to counsel patients on medical marijuana.-Roll Call

Sorry, that’s a BIG NO from Paul Ryan, James Sensenbrenner, Tom Petri, Sean Duffy, Reid Ribble.