Ed Thompson against the Drug War

Ed Thompson says his brother's political party (Republicans) are "insane" for blocking medical marijuana. The gubernatorial candidate says it's the height of hypocrisy for conservatives to advocate smaller government and then wage a virtual holy war on marijuana.

"Of course they're hypocritical," Thompson said, "I mean what could be more hypocritical than that. On the one hand they're saying' smaller government and on the other hand they're passing legislation to enslave us. What a person ingests in his own bedroom I think should be his business, not the government's."

Thompson supports the medical marijuana bill being introduced in the Assembly by Democrats Frank Boyle and Mark Pocan. Ed says he won't lobby for the bill. "I'll wait when I'm governor and I'll sign it," Thompson said, laughing. Thompson says the government is lying to the people about the alleged dangers of marijuana and it ought to be legalized.

Thompson says the Bush administration is nuts to block medical marijuana use. He said they're playing politics with something that's so important to the people. Thompson says they're throwing people in prison and they've sold the idea that marijuana is an evil thing and he says they're lying to us. And that, he says, is wrong.

In a March poll, 7% of Wisconsin voters said they supported Thompson for governor (another 21% were undecided). His campaign has already garnered coverage in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and on the Today Show.

A six-term Democratic state legislator with a reputation as an outspoken critic of government corruption will run for lieutenant governor as Ed Thompson's running mate in Wisconsin, the campaign announced on Thursday.

Marty Reynolds, 52, who has represented the 87th District in the State Assembly for 12 years, joined Thompson on a two-day tour of the state to kick off his candidacy.

"We have a chance to change the way Wisconsin looks at politics," said Reynolds, who is also the mayor of Ladysmith. "The two-party system is broken. It's time for a change."