LETTER to the editor: Teacher unions restrict
One step behind The Wisconsin men’s basketball team fell short of defeating No. 5 North Carolina Wednesday night.+ SPORTS, page 8
school reforms +OPINION, page 6
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Thursday, December 1, 2011
Report: State will need more doctors By Jenna Bushnell The Daily Cardinal
Wisconsin is expected to have a shortfall of over 2,000 physicians by 2030, according to a report released Tuesday. The Wisconsin Hospital Association released the report, which is based on the state’s projected population growth and changing demographics over the next 20 years. The association said 100 physicians will have to join the Wisconsin workforce every year or residents will not have adequate preventative health
care, and the “state’s economy will be as much as $5 billion smaller than it could be.” “If the issues outlined in this paper are not acted upon, access to needed health care services will become unavailable, with a harmful impact on Wisconsin citizens,” the report stated. The Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health released a joint statement Wednesday agreeing with the WHA’s findings.
doctors page 3
HIV/AIDS and the media
Professor Shawnika Hull led a discussion on her experiences researching the promotion of HIV testing in disproportionately affected groups. + Photo by Ben Koeppen
ASM elects two committee chairs The Daily Cardinal
While the Associated Students of Madison elected chairs to its Nominations Board and Rules Committee Wednesday, the council tabled a decision on whom to elect to the vice chair position until next week. Running for the Associated Students of Madison vice chair position were ASM
Pocan proposes medical marijuana By Jacob Riederer The Daily Cardinal
State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, announced Wednesday he will reintroduce legislation that would legalize medicinal marijuana in Wisconsin. The Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act was originally introduced in 2009 but was defeated despite a democratic majority in both the House and Senate. The legislation, sponsored by Pocan and state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, would allow all patients to obtain a state medical marijuana license registered with the Department of Health Services. The license would only be available for people with specific conditions including cancer, glaucoma and AIDS. It would set limits on the amount of marijuana a patient is authorized to have, impose regulations on nonprofit organizations
that distribute marijuana and prohibit the arrest of a doctor who provides a certification in good faith. Pocan stressed the importance of reintroducing the bill even though he acknowledged it is unlikely to pass this session. “By being able talk about this one more time we’re going to continue to build … support and I am certain at some point we will pass this in Wisconsin,” Pocan said. Mike Mikalsen, aide to state Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, does not think the bill will pass and said it is an attempt to start the process of legalizing marijuana for non-medical purposes. “The bill hasn’t really changed very much from last time when legitimate concerns were raised about it, and even Democrats could not stomach this attempt to legalize illicit drug use,” Mikalsen said. Dr. Angela Janis, a member of the Wisconsin Medical Society,
joined Pocan at a press conference announcing the bill and said medicinal marijuana can be important in treating “debilitating diseases.” “There is now support for the benefit of [medical] marijuana in many conditions including cancer and chemotherapy side effects, HIV, chronic pain, wasting syndrome, glaucoma, and muscle spasms,” Janis said. A spokesperson for the Wisconsin Medical Society said the organization disagrees, saying “adequate and well-controlled studies” of smoked marijuana still need to be conducted. “Smoked marijuana should not be used for therapeutic reasons without scientific data regarding its safety and efficacy for specific indications,” the WMS said in a statement. Pocan and Erpenbach are currently seeking co-sponsors for the bill.
Ordinance aims to curb large house parties
world aids week
By Anna Duffin
mark kauzlarich/the daily cardinal
State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, reintroduced at a press conference Wednesday legislation that would legalize medical marijuana. The bill is identical to one that failed in 2009.
Reps. Tom Templeton and Nneka Akubeze. Templeton said his experience serving as vice chair two sessions ago would allow him to “hit the ground running” in the position. “I can start with really no learning curve in a job that has a steep learning curve to help restore the image of ASM,”
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By David Jones The Daily Cardinal
City officials tailored a proposed ordinance Wednesday to more specifically target large, underage house parties downtown. Madison’s Alcohol License Review Committee reviewed the changes, which would allow the city to classify a party as a “nuisance” if it meets four of nine violation criteria. Originally, the ordinance would require that only two of the nine total criteria be met for a party to be considered a nuisance. Under the changes, a party can only be defined as a nuisance if two alcohol-related offenses are committed. Offenses include selling liquor without a license or providing liquor to an under-
age person in addition to two disorder-related offenses, such as noise or fire-code violations. Downtown Alcohol Policy Coordinator Mark Woulf said these changes “get at defining the nuisance house party and exactly what it is.” The ordinance would only allow officials like district police captains to determine if a party is a nuisance party after reviewing reports by responding officers. If a party is determined to be a nuisance party, the host would likely receive citations, and the host’s landlord would receive notification of the incident. The ordinance would also require that alders be notified of police calls to house parties in
their districts to allow them to follow disciplinary proceedings. According to Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, there are particular cases where this part of the ordinance could be used as a tool, but “in its entirety, [this part of the ordinance] is not necessary.” Some committee members expressed a desire for the committee to vote on the ordinance Wednesday, while others wanted a more thorough analysis of the ordinance’s potential benefits and downfalls. “I would prefer if this were pushed back until the beginning of the spring semester, as this ordinance disproportionately affects students,” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”