▼ Former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R-WI)
In Short
The former governor of Wisconsin and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has withdrawn from the Republican primary race. Prior to his withdrawal, he stated publicly, on multiple occasions, that he would end the federal raids on state medical marijuana patients and their caregivers if elected president.
What Former Gov. Thompson Has Done:
Gov. Thompson has neither cosponsored nor voted on any legislation specifically addressing medical marijuana.
What Former Gov. Thompson Has Said:
On May 15, 2007, at a meet-and-greet in Seabrook, Gov. Thompson was asked, "Legislators and voters in 12 states have passed laws protecting seriously ill residents who use medical marijuana with their doctor's approval; our current federal policy is to raid and arrest these patients. When you're elected president, will you respect the will of the voters in these states and end the raids on state medical marijuana programs?" Gov. Thompson responded, "I will stop the raids, yes."
On June 5, 2007, in Manchester, New Hampshire, former Maryland statehouse delegate Don Murphy asked Gov. Thompson if he would end the federal raids on state medical marijuana programs. Thompson responded by jabbing Murphy in the chest with his two fingers and loudly saying, "No, they should not be arrested! They should not be arrested. They should not be arrested. I would do away with the DEA raids."
On August 12, 2007, Tommy Thompson withdrew from the Republican primary race.