Medical Marijuana Advocates March 210 Miles to Wisconsin State Capitol

MEDICAL MARIJUANA September-October 1997

In Wisconsin, advocates for the legalization of medical marijuana marched 210 miles from Mondovi to the State Capitol in Madison to urge politicians to allow patients to legally use the drug. The march began on September 10 and ended on September 18 (David Callender, "Rx: marijuana," Capital Times (Madison), September 19, 1997; Associated Press, "Medical marijuana backers begin march to state capital," Daily Telegram (Superior), September 12, 1997).

The "Journey for Justice" included 15 people in wheelchairs, three medical professionals, as well as drivers and helpers. "We're just everyday people. We're not criminals," said Jacki Rickert, who led the "Journey for Justice." "No one is going to benefit from putting patients in jail cells. We just want our medicine," she said. The group only advocates for the medical use of marijuana, not for recreational use.

The marchers met with Rep. Frank Boyle (D-Superior) when they arrived at the State Capitol. Rep. Boyle supports the legalization of marijuana for medical use, and proposed a bill that would remove marijuana from the restrictive listing Schedule I, and move it to schedule III, which would allow for its medical use (Rick Olivo, "Smoking in secret," Daily Press (Ashland), September 13, 1997).

Wis. State Rep. Frank Boyle - (608) 266-0640, E-mail: rep.boyle@legis.state.wi.us.