WITI-TV, MILWAUKEE -
What do you do to relax when you get home from work? Watch TV? Go for a run? Have a drink or glass of wine? What some do is illegal in Wisconsin, and the people they work with don't' know they do it. A group of white collar career women are giving new meaning to "high heels."
One of the first things you'd notice about Jean is she's bright. She says, "I have a college degree, and I'm currently working on my master's, and a doctorate is definitely in my future."
The last thing you will notice is she smokes marijuana, and it's the last thing anyone would suspect. "In my professional life almost no one knows," said Jean.
Jean is a mother, wife and a career woman. Any woman who does that balancing act knows it can get a little stressful. Jean said, "I was never a big beer drinker. I'm not a big wine drinker, and it's just something to do at the end of the day to relax."
A recent study by the Federal Government found at least eight million American women do it, and 20% of them earn more than $75,000 a year.
Brenda is a 32-year-old woman who owns a home, and is a polished professional. When the business is done, she breaks out her bag of green buds. "If you looked at me on the street you wouldn't know that I come home every night, and smoke a bow," said Brenda.
Contrary to the stereotype of a pothead wasting away and stoned to the point of stupid, women like Veronica believe a few hits actually helps them get things done.
What concerns this group of professional women is that they have to keep it a secret. Sally says, "I've started doing it more often recently and I worry a little about getting caught, which is why I don't do it out in the open."
Like Sally, none of the women FOX 6 interviewed was willing to show their face on TV or use their real name. They may not need to hide forever, marijuana laws have loosened up recently. Thirteen states have decriminalized it.
In Milwaukee County having less than 25 grams is only a citation. Veronica keeps the ordinance by her front door in case the police ever come by.
Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is co-sponsoring a bill in congress to prohibit any criminal penalty for possession of marijuana for personal use as long as it's 100 grams or less. Jean says, "It's ridiculous that as an adult - as a successful adult - I can't come home and relax my way."
Relaxing with marijuana does come at a cost. Dr. Jim Hurth of Columbia St. Mary's says, "When you get past the use and get into abuse and addiction, cannabis does have problems." Continual use of cannabis may be linked to mouth and throat cancer, respiratory damage and anxiety attacks.
Dr. Hurth says, "With women particularly, we have to think about the effects of cannabis on reproductive function... If you're smoking four times a week or more, about 20% of those women may have lacteria. They may have a problem with milk coming from their breasts. They tend to have shorter menstrual cycles, and their fertility goes down."
The cannabis-loving career women are aware of the risks. Jean says, "Cigarettes are bad for you. Alcohol is bad for you. In our country, at least I was brought up to believe, you have a right to make these right choices as long as you're not hurting anybody else."
None of the women FOX 6 has talked to plan to stop smoking pot anytime soon.
Marijuana possession in any amount is illegal in Wisconsin, and is a misdemeanor with a possible six months in jail. If you're in Milwaukee County it is up to police and prosecutors to decide which they want to enforce, the state law or the county ordinance which says it's just a citation.
One of the first things you'd notice about Jean is she's bright. She says, "I have a college degree, and I'm currently working on my master's, and a doctorate is definitely in my future."
The last thing you will notice is she smokes marijuana, and it's the last thing anyone would suspect. "In my professional life almost no one knows," said Jean.
Jean is a mother, wife and a career woman. Any woman who does that balancing act knows it can get a little stressful. Jean said, "I was never a big beer drinker. I'm not a big wine drinker, and it's just something to do at the end of the day to relax."
A recent study by the Federal Government found at least eight million American women do it, and 20% of them earn more than $75,000 a year.
Brenda is a 32-year-old woman who owns a home, and is a polished professional. When the business is done, she breaks out her bag of green buds. "If you looked at me on the street you wouldn't know that I come home every night, and smoke a bow," said Brenda.
Contrary to the stereotype of a pothead wasting away and stoned to the point of stupid, women like Veronica believe a few hits actually helps them get things done.
What concerns this group of professional women is that they have to keep it a secret. Sally says, "I've started doing it more often recently and I worry a little about getting caught, which is why I don't do it out in the open."
Like Sally, none of the women FOX 6 interviewed was willing to show their face on TV or use their real name. They may not need to hide forever, marijuana laws have loosened up recently. Thirteen states have decriminalized it.
In Milwaukee County having less than 25 grams is only a citation. Veronica keeps the ordinance by her front door in case the police ever come by.
Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is co-sponsoring a bill in congress to prohibit any criminal penalty for possession of marijuana for personal use as long as it's 100 grams or less. Jean says, "It's ridiculous that as an adult - as a successful adult - I can't come home and relax my way."
Relaxing with marijuana does come at a cost. Dr. Jim Hurth of Columbia St. Mary's says, "When you get past the use and get into abuse and addiction, cannabis does have problems." Continual use of cannabis may be linked to mouth and throat cancer, respiratory damage and anxiety attacks.
Dr. Hurth says, "With women particularly, we have to think about the effects of cannabis on reproductive function... If you're smoking four times a week or more, about 20% of those women may have lacteria. They may have a problem with milk coming from their breasts. They tend to have shorter menstrual cycles, and their fertility goes down."
The cannabis-loving career women are aware of the risks. Jean says, "Cigarettes are bad for you. Alcohol is bad for you. In our country, at least I was brought up to believe, you have a right to make these right choices as long as you're not hurting anybody else."
None of the women FOX 6 has talked to plan to stop smoking pot anytime soon.
Marijuana possession in any amount is illegal in Wisconsin, and is a misdemeanor with a possible six months in jail. If you're in Milwaukee County it is up to police and prosecutors to decide which they want to enforce, the state law or the county ordinance which says it's just a citation.
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