Medical marijuana dispute

BERLIN, Wis. - Some area people are fighting to legalize medical marijuana.

Supporters of medical marijuana in Wisconsin are working to educate the public on its benefits. Some say it's a life saver.

“My doctor told me if you can't gain weight, if your body's not accepting the nutrients,” said Jacki Rickert. “He just looked at me and said you will die.”

Rickert founded the group "Is My Medicine Legal Yet?" or IMMLY. She said her body's inability to take on nutrients from food is helped with marijuana.

“This is medicine, we're talking about health care,” said Rickert.

In October, Wisconsin state senators introduced Senate Bill 368 to legalize medical marijuana. The people at a medical marijuana expo in Berlin are all for it, but not everyone in the area is.

“I think it opens up the floodgates to worse things, and I'm just, I'm not for it,” said resident Bill Brooks.

Some worry usage would get out of control, that it wouldn't be used for just treating the ill and that it could easily fall into the wrong hands.

“If it would pass, I'd be concerned about that. Like I said, it just opens up the gates for more things to happen,” said Brooks.

“People are already using it left and right,” said IMMLY member Gary Storck.

Storck said he relies on marijuana for his glaucoma and chronic pain. Since he can't obtain it legally, he must go through the black market, which he said is even more dangerous than just legalizing the drug.

“It makes it more expensive and it means that you might get cannabis of uncertain quality or it may be moldy,” said Storck.

The bill is in review, but there is no certainty when or if the bill will be voted on