In the sea of changing marijuana laws, Wisconsin has been noticeably quiet. There is no medical marijuana system in place here and marijuana has most certainly not been legalized. But this doesn’t mean momentum here isn’t growing. The latest bill to be introduced in the state legislature would allow for cannabis-derived strains to be used in the treatment of certain seizure disorders. This type of focused and very limited marijuana law could be the “in” needed to change the way our state thinks about and thereby legislates cannabis.
According to 620 WTMJ, the bill has more than 20 sponsors and was introduced by Rep. Robb Kahl (D-Monona) and Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa). This bill would do two things: it would say cannabis is not a schedule 1 drug when a doctor has prescribed it for the use in treating a seizure disorder, and it would allow the possession of a marijuana-derived medicine if it came from a doctor for the treatment of such a disorder.
For six year old Lydia Schaeffer , just walking up the stairs is a challenge. Lydia was diagnosed with a rare chromosome and seizure disorder when she was just a baby.
The seizure disorder in question is one that can shorten a child’s life and make it a living hell for everyone that surrounds them. In the most severe cases, children who suffer from the condition are kept in medically-induced comas to limit the stress to their bodies caused by having dozens if not hundreds of seizures a day.
Conventional medications come with a long list of side effects. But families have found a marijuana-derived solution that seems to have none.
Cannabidiol is a compound found in marijuana that is not psychoactive. It is processed into an oil which can be ingested. Because it’s not psychoactive, the child or patient doesn’t get “high”, they merely experience the medicinal benefits of the powerful cannabis compound.
It’s this medically valuable treatment that has led many lawmakers—even those who wouldn’t support other marijuana legislation—to consider the newly introduced bill.
“We’ve got children in this state that need this as a medical option, and that’s what we’re doing, but they are still going to have to work with their treating physician to decide if that’s the best option them,” explained Rep. Robb Kahl of the marijuana bill. “It’s not a political or partisan issue. It’s a humanitarian issue in my opinion.”
Even though the bill would not create a medical marijuana system for people suffering from other potentially-treatable conditions, and it would surely not loosen recreational marijuana laws, it’s a start.
One of the biggest problems with the patchwork system of marijuana laws across the nation is the federal government’s involvement. Though they’ve vowed to stay out of it except in extreme cases, the feds still consider marijuana to be a schedule 1 substance with no medical value. With every law that passes to the contrary, the argument to get the classification changed strengthens.