A pair of state legislators is on the move making their case for a medical marijuana bill, and Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) presented his argument at the Marathon County Public Library on Wednesday.
Erpenbach says the opioid problem has seen plenty of action from the legislature already, and rightfully so. He argues that legalizing marijuana for medical use in Wisconsin would help that cause. "[Opioids] are legally prescribed medicines from doctors, and there are studies that show that in states where medical marijuana is legal, opioid addiction is reduced," said Erpenbach.
Governor Scott Walker has been consistently opposed to a measure like this, saying it would be a stepping stone to recreational marijuana, but Erpenbach believes there are many Republicans in the Legislature who would be able to see the benefits of medical cannabis. He said, "It's a matter of the Republican majority having a hearing on this piece of legislation and actually listening, hopefully, with a compassionate and more sympathetic ear to those who show up and testify and talk about how this has helped them."
Schofield Representative Pat Snyder has gone on record saying he would seriously consider the benefits of medical marijuana if a bill comes to the Assembly floor. Mark Pendergast is a northern Wisconsin veteran who suffers with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder on a daily basis. "What I found out is, cannabis can help me with that, and it has helped for the last six years," said Pendergast. "The last pill I did take put me in the back of a Gold Cross ambulance with a blood pressure of 70.
The last pills I took almost killed me." Pendergast was participating in a program out of Oregon to obtain medical cannabis, but new regulations have cut him and others out-of-state off from the program. Now, he's hoping more state legislators will be open to the idea, so that he and other veterans suffering from the same symptoms can get relief.
