Wisconsin Legalizes Medical Marijuana—But Only for the Children!

The discovery that an oil
extract from marijuana was successfully treating extremely serious,
life-threatening seizures in children with rare disorders has
prompted some
changes in the way people think about the drug (except,
perhaps, for New Jersey
Gov. Chris Christie).

Medical marijuana is not legal in Wisconsin, but yesterday

Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill making it legal in the state to
use cannabidiol, a drug made from cannabis, to treat seizure
disorders. This particular, singular type of medical marijuana is
approved because there’s no chance anybody would enjoy taking it.
From the Journal Times of Racine, Wisconsin:
  

Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill legalizing cannabidiol, or CBD,
which has reportedly been shown to work for children in Colorado.
It was illegal in Wisconsin because it contains a small amount of
THC, the component present in marijuana, but advocates noted that
CBD could never be used as recreational marijuana.

The bill was written narrowly to apply only to CBD, which must
be administered by a physician and is not considered by advocates
to be “medical marijuana.”

Baby steps, anyway. At least there’s another state where parents
won’t have to
pack up their families and move to Colorado if one of their
children turns out to have the disorder. But Wisconsin may not be
alone. Several other states that haven’t legalized medical
marijuana are nevertheless
considering legalizing this one particular marijuana extract
for treating this particular rare illness.

For an exhaustive list of where each state stands on marijuana
decriminalization or legalization, check out John K. Ross’ recent
state-by-state review
here.