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Applications still open for industrial hemp program

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Farmers looking to add industrial hemp to their fields need to start doing their homework and talk with the state before they try to plant crops.

Wisconsin has started a program that allows for farmers to grow industrial hemp on a limited, pilot basis. Melody Walker with the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection says there’s a lot of planning that needs to be done first, and a lot of communication that needs to happen with state officials.

Farmers will need to take part in a application process with DATCP that includes a background check. “Farmers can’t have any drug-related convictions if they’re going to plant hemp,” says Walker. part of that registration will require telling the state exactly how much acreage they plan to grow.

Farmers also need to be sure they’ll have a buyer for their product that is inside state lines. Walker says that transport to producers outside of Wisconsin is still illegal. “Because it’s such a new crop to Wisconsin, we don’t have a lot of processing plants ready to take crops from people, so that is really an important piece if they plan to market the crop.”

Seeds for any hemp fields have to come from a list of certified vendors to ensure that the hemp that’s being grown isn’t going to be chemically active and classified as marijuana.

When it comes time to harvest, producers will need to get in touch with the state again so that experts can come out and test their crops to ensure that they have low enough levels of THC, the active chemical in hemp, to qualify as industrial hemp and not marijuana.

Farmers have until May 1 to sign up for the pilot program. You can find out more online at https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/IndustrialHemp.aspx.

 

Warnings issued after fake marijuana kills users in Illinois

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The Wisconsin Department of Health Services issuing warnings against using fake marijuana after users in Illinois have been sickened or killed by the drugs.

The state started investigating the case after Illinois officials reported 95 people who were suffering from severe bleeding after ingesting some of the drugs. Two people have died so far in Illinois.

The synthetic cannabinoids are often sold in novelty stores or convenience stores and can come in packages of dried plants or as liquids for e-smoking devices.

DHS chief medical officer Jon Meiman says officials have determined that a chemical used as rat poison has been found in the fake pot that’s been confiscated. “This chemical gets in the body, it stays in there for a long period of time and can cause some serious bleeding problems that require urgent treatment and treatment for weeks or even months.”

That’s one of the real dangers of taking these drugs, according to Meiman. “It’s not really one drug, it’s hundreds of different drugs and we don’t really know how they work. All of them can kind of work differently on the brain and their effects can really be unpredictable.”

Illinois law enforcement has made several arrests in the case, and are still working to determine just why and how the rat poison ended up in the drugs.

Call 911 or go to the emergency department right away if you or someone you know has a serious reaction to synthetic cannabinoids.

Round 2 of the flu

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Wisconsin is not finished with the flu season yet. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says a second round of flu is hitting the state, just as it seemed one of the most severe flu seasons in decades was ending.

The latest threat comes from influenza-B. It is less severe than influenza-A. , but it’s still a concern for young families. Doctors say it is hitting young people harder than the older population and more children are being hospitalized.

State influenza coordinator Tom Haupt says there have been 65 hundred influenza hospitalizations in Wisconsin. There have been adult deaths, but no children have died in the state.  Haupt says we still need to remain vigiliant with hand washing and if you haven’t gotten one yet, a flu shot.

Baldwin says arming teachers doesn’t make sense

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Arming school teachers gets a thumbs down from a top Wisconsin Democrat. President Donald Trump is proposing bonuses for teachers who carry guns. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat and gun owner, rejects that idea.

“I do not think arming our schools and arming our teachers makes any sense at all,” Baldwin said during a WisPolitics luncheon in Madison on Thursday.

The president also suggested restricting purchase of semi-automatic rifles to people over age 21, against the backdrop of activism by young people

“These children are organizing in a way that I haven’t see before, and I think we’re just seeing the start of it,” she said. Baldwin said getting something done on guns depends on willingness by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Baldwin is up for reelection in November. State Senator Leah Vukmir, one of two Republicans running to challenge her, was at the WisPolitics event, and questioned Baldwin on why she did not vote for President Trump’s tax cut.

Recovery coaches added at UW Hospital

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An effort bringing help to overdose survivors before they leave the hospital is expanding to UW Hospital in Madison. It’s a program already in place at other hospitals in the state. Tonya Kraege is program coordinator and recovery coach manager for Safe Communities, which is working with UW Hospital.

“It’s pretty scary waking up in the emergency department,” Krayge said, adding that the coaches have all gone through addiction themselves. “It’s really an approach that isn’t your traditional 12 step approach. It’s not a sponsor, it’s not a counselor or a therapist. It’s really just a person that says ‘I know that it’s like to be in your shoes.'”

Emergency room doctors can call a recovery coach who will respond to the hospital to help the patient navigate a path to treatment.

Report: Wisconsin falling behind on tobacco control efforts

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(Photo: Jackie Johnson)

A report from the American Lung Association shows Wisconsin is falling behind in several key areas the organization says are important to reducing tobacco use.

The State of Tobacco Control report looks at several factors – such as funding for tobacco prevention and treatment programs. Wisconsin received a grade of “F” for its current level of funding for tobacco prevention program, the level of coverage and access to services to help people quit, and for still having minimum age for selling tobacco products that’s below 21.

The one area where Wisconsin did receive an “A” was on the strength of its smoke free workplace law. The state enacted a smoking ban in 2010.

Dona Wininsky with the American Lung Association of Wisconsin says the report shows the state has stagnated when it comes to passing new policies that can help reduce tobacco use among adults and teens. “There is something of a sentiment that once the smoke free air law was passed that the work was done and there doesn’t need to be anything more done to prevent tobacco use,” she argues.

While Wisconsin lawmakers have not introduced any bills that would help to improve Wisconsin’s current grades, Wininsky says there are other things they are still pushing for action on to help people quit tobacco or prevent them from ever starting in the first place. One is a bill that would require all tobacco products sold in stores to be behind the counter or in a locked cabinet. Wininsky says that includes products such as little cigars that have candy or fruit flavors in bright packaging, which may appeal to kids.

The bill has already passed in the state Senate, but is still awaiting action in an Assembly committee.

Walker plans to prop up Obamacare in Wisconsin

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Governor Walker

Governor Scott Walker, a longtime critic of the Affordable Health Care Act, is now moving to shore it up, as he positions himself for reelection. A statement from Walker’s campaign said that he has announced “a series of reforms to stabilize health care and help address rising costs for hardworking Wisconsin families – bold action as Washington fails to act.”

The governor will highlight his actions during his state of the state address on Wednesday.

“There isn’t anything in there that is earthshaking,” said state Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton). “He’s probably three or four years behind the curve on this issue.”

Walker’s plans include asking the legislature to support propping up the individual market with a reinsurance plan, through a waiver allowed under the ACA. He also plans to seek a permanent waiver for the state’s prescription drug program and urge the state Senate to approve an Assembly bill that would protect coverage for those with preexisting conditions.

Erpenbach tweeted that he had previously offered legislation on preexisting conditions.


“This is stuff we’ve supported for a long time, and I have no doubt we will support,” Erpenbach said. “But this isn’t anything the governor should be taking credit for.”

Walker signs executive orders targeting opioid crisis

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State and local agencies are getting some new tools to help with ongoing efforts to combat opioid abuse in Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker on Friday signed two executive orders, which are based on recommendations made by the Governor’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse.

The first creates a Commission on Substance Abuse Treatment Delivery, which will study a “hub-and-spoke” approach to opioid treatment that is used in other states. Such models use regional hubs to provide resources for those seeking addiction treatment, who can then be referred to local “spokes” located in surrounding communities. Walker argues the model will provide more access to treatment and addiction services throughout the state.

The other order directs several state agencies to take steps to respond and react to cases involving opiate abuse. Under the order:

  • The Department of Health Services will work to improve the efficiency of care for ex-offenders, cooperate with law enforcement officials in developing training regarding opioid-abuse, convene a faith-based summit on opioids for faith-based officials, and develop a statewide standard for data submission on people seeking substance abuse treatment.
  • The Department of Children and Families will revise its Child Protective Services Standards to better reflect the impact of substance abuse issues arising in child welfare cases.
  • The State Patrol and Capitol Police will incorporate software involved in reporting and responding to overdose incidents.

Walker signed the executive orders during a ceremony in Eau Claire.

Citizen Action’s Kraig on Medicaid ‘work requirements’

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A Wisconsin health care advocate says Medicaid “work requirements” are not what they seem. The Trump administration last week issued guidance for states that want to require eligible able-bodied adults to have jobs to qualify for Medicaid.

In Wisconsin, that means Badgercare. “It tries to make it sound like people who need Badgercare for their healthcare are somehow doing the wrong thing, refusing to work, while it’s quite the contrary,” said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. Kraig said many people on the state’s Medicaid program already work.

A spokeswoman for Governor Scott Walker says the change will “give the state greater flexibility, and allow the state to help more families move from government dependence to real independence by serving as a work incentive.”

Kraig says the action is “extremely mean spirited, and is simply an attempt to create barriers and hoops that the Walker administration knows will cause a lot of people to lose their healthcare.”

Lung Association offering smoking cessation to public housing residents

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The American Lung Association in Wisconsin is offering free smoking cessation classes for low income resident of public housing. The Lung Association’s Keri Schneider says it’s being offered in advance of a directive from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development directive that will require all public housing in the country to be smoke free by August 1st.

Schnedier says the program provides services above and beyond those offered by the state Quitline. “We’ll be offering this statewide, and depending on the location we’ll be able to match up some local resources for those who are interested in participating.”

In many cases, classes are being held right on the housing authority properties. More classes are being scheduled and will run throughout the remainder of 2018. Facilitators are also being trained to offer the program on-site. You can find out more by calling 262-703-4200.