Illinois

[palmspringsbum]

Published: April 6, 2006

Letters to the Editor
Out-of-step on marijuana
www.rrstar.com

Despite massive public support and endorsements from reputable health organizations, the Illinois Senate failed to pass the medical marijuana bill SB 2568.

I’m amazed but not surprised that so many lawmakers are out of step with the public on this issue.

Rhode Island became the 11th state earlier this year to protect medical marijuana patients from arrest and incarceration.

Politicians here should be taught to respect the concerns of their constituents. They are obviously in somebody’s pocket.


— E.J. Pagel,Winnebago

[Midnight toker]

Catch the buzz on pot legalization

Matthew Schroyer
Issue date: 9/19/06 Section: Lifestyles
The Alestle


The editor of a U.S. based publication advocating marijuana legalization will come face-to-face with a retired agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration on the SIUE campus, but no cavity searches will be involved.

The confrontation will take place in a Campus Activities Board sponsored program, Wolfman Productions' "Heads vs. Feds: The Great Debate", at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The issues dealing with marijuana legalization will debated in the Morris University Center's Meridian Ballroom.

Since 1988, Steven Hager has served in the top editorial position at "High Times," most recently returning to the position in early 2006, according to the tour's Web site. In addition to his work for the magazine, Hager also made several documentaries and books, including "Beat Street" and "The Octopus Conspiracy," respectively.

Robert Stutman, on the other hand, is a former special agent of the New York Field Division, the largest DEA division in the country. After retiring in 1990, Stutman went on to be a special consultant on substance abuse for television networks CBS and PBS and has appeared regularly on major broadcast network news programs.

New York Magazine once called Stutman "the most famous narc in America," according to the Web site.

According to the tour's Web site, the two debaters have filled auditoriums at universities across the nation, including University of South Carolina and Virginia Tech.

"This truly has been one of the most exciting events on campus," the University of South Carolina on the Wolfman Productions' Web site. "The ballroom was filled to its maximum capacity of 700 people ? We had to turn away 400 people."

According to the program's Web site, Penn College of Technology also had a similar response.

"We knew that we had hit a nerve with our students when we gave out the first 500 tickets in just two and a half days," the Web site said.

Lise Suliman, a CAB graduate assistant, previously attended the event with other CAB members, and felt inspired to bring it to SIUE.

"We saw this debate at a conference and it was very well received by the student delegate there," she said.

Suliman is anticipating that the program will create a similar atmosphere and bring many students the opportunity to voice opinions and become informed.

"We're hoping this is an issue that will actually speak to our student body and get a lot of audience participation," Suliman said.

Chris Worrick, also a member of CAB, said the event is timely and thinks it will translate into a great forum for discussion.

"It's a very important issue right now," he said. "We're hoping as soon as you come in, you're going to want to debate it and talk about it seriously."

Suliman expects the issue of decriminalization to take center stage, and thinks students will have many questions and opinions on the subject.

"Obviously, people want to use (marijuana) for medicinal purposes," she said. "Other countries have it legalized and they want to know why we can't have it here."

Worrick said the debate would cover a variety of other topics, including the war on drugs. He explained how Hager might debate the effectiveness of the nation's anti-drug plan.

"Steve will also be talking about how we can better spend our money - instead of a war against marijuana - on a war that's against other drugs that are more harmful," he said.

Worrick encourages students to speak and take advantage of a moderated public forum.

"There will be a moderator to make sure that anyone who wants to say something will have a chance," he said.

Some students believe legalizing marijuana would make sense.

Junior Andrea Harrawood thinks that marijuana can help those in pain, and the benefits outweigh the risks.

"If someone is suffering ? then I think (marijuana) should be allowed," she said. "It's silly to worry about someone that's about to die getting addicted if it can save them from pain."

Not all students agree that pot should be decriminalized. Junior biology major Adam Rammacher is against the legalization of marijuana.

"If it's illegal, it's illegal," he said.

Math education sophomore Ken Bratton does not plan on attending the debate, but is nonetheless concerned that legalizing marijuana will create more societal problems.

"I see destruction to your body, relationships, finances," he said. "I don't see any reason (to legalize marijuana)."

Bratton thinks if marijuana had significant medical importance, drug companies would have lobbied for changes a long time ago. With the exception of a few rare medical cases, he does not think the pro-legalization camp is very convincing.

"If their only reason is for medicinal purposes, then they are lying," he said.

CAB hosted an informational table in the Morris University Center Monday and will host a table Tuesday, as well.

For more information, visit the Web site at www.wolfmanproductions.com/thc.htm

[palmspringsbum]

It's time to legalize marijuana in Illinois

The Chicago Sun-Times

November 12, 2006

BY MONROE ANDERSON

The war in Iraq loomed large last week as voters registered their disenchantment during the midterm elections. But lost in all the headlines and nightly news stories about the Republican loss of power were limited status reports on the other American conflict: the War on Weed. In Nevada, an initiative that would have legalized possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for anyone over 21 failed with only a 44 percent yes vote. Las Vegas -- where prostitution and gambling are legal and public intoxication common -- is not quite ready to end the prohibition of pot.

Nonetheless, what nearly happened in Vegas, should never stay in Vegas.

For at least two generations, smoking dope has become an American way of life. According to federal statistics, about 94 million Americans -- or 40 percent of 12-year-olds and up -- admit to having blown some weed; 15 million say they've had a joint within the last month. Eleven states have declared that the drug war has failed, passing laws that say, for adults, taking a toke is no longer a crime. In these states, from Oregon to Maine, from Alaska to Mississippi, holding a joint will no longer result in your sharing a cell with a murderer, rapist or larcenous CEO. Instead, you'll end up with something akin to a slap on the wrist or a ticket and a fine.

There are also 11 states that don't arrest those suffering from the side effects of chemotherapy or AIDS if they use marijuana to ease their pain. But not in Illinois. Despite more than 2-1 public support for medical marijuana legislation and endorsements from health groups, there was not enough support to pass Sen. John Cullerton's (D-Chicago) medical marijuana bill this month.

There is a huge body of evidence, argues Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, that marijuana prohibition today is working about as well as alcohol prohibition did in the Roaring '20s. In February, no less an authority than the U.S. Justice Department reported in its 2006 Drug Threat Assessment that "marijuana availability is high and stable or increasing slightly.''

The feds have been fighting marijuana since classifying it as a narcotic in the 1930s. Jealous that FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was getting more press, Harry J. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Treasury Department's Federal Bureau of Narcotics, started his campaign on cannabis by singlehandedly giving weed a bad rep. Back then, marijuana was the drug of choice for black jazz musicians and Mexicans -- a fact Anslinger was careful to note, pointing out that "it makes the Negro feel as if he is as good as the white man'' and that "all Mexicans are crazy and this stuff makes them crazy.''

Cannabis has been demonized in the nation since, while the desire for it has risen. From the time Anslinger managed to get the drug banned in 1937, Mirken said, use has gone up 2,000 percent.

That has created what Mirken describes as the drug-war-industrial complex, an entire industry from bureaucrats to law enforcement agencies to penal systems that are making money by keeping marijuana illegal.

In the past year, the pot prohibition has produced record devil-weed arrests and a bumper crop of American POWs in our nation's prisons. In 2005, there 786,545 marijuana arrests -- 696,074 just for possession. About 34,000 state and 11,000 federal inmates are incarcerated for marijuana offenses. We're spending $1 billion a year to put them there and another $8 billion a year to keep them there.

We could regulate, license and tax marijuana. Instead we blow billions on busting and jailing peaceful citizens from whom we could collect millions in tax revenue -- much like we do with alcohol.

For our nation's lawmakers to not grasp such a commonsense approach, you've got to wonder what they've been smoking.

[palmspringsbum]

Documentary to educate about medical marijuana

By Codell Rodriguez, The Southern Illinoisan
10 Nov 2007

CARBONDALE - If there's one thing Jed Riffe can't stand, it's the media's handling of the subject of medicinal marijuana.

Riffe said the subject he takes very seriously is treated as tongue-in-cheek with many news outlets. Because he didn't see anyone else taking it seriously, Riffe made a documentary on the subject.

"Waiting to Inhale" will screen at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Center.

The film follows patients who use marijuana to help with their illness and parents who have lost their children to addiction. Riffe said it was important to show both sides of the argument because it makes a better film and richer learning experience.

"In terms of film storytelling, you need drama and conflict. And, out of drama and conflict, we can learn," Riffe said.

The film will be followed by a panel discussion with Riffe; Christopher Fichtner, former director of mental health with the Illinois Department of Human Services and associate professor of clinical psychiatry at University of Chicago; and Gretchen Steele, a registered nurse, multiple sclerosis patient and medical marijuana advocate from Coulterville.

"The film's a good way of getting a discussion going," said Dan Bernath, assistant director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project.

As a former member of an AIDS foundation, Riffe said he has seen how it can tone down the pain people with serious illness must deal with. He said the film looks at this seriously and the patients are not using the marijuana for recreation.

"A couple of the people don't like to get high, so it was an unpleasant side effect," Riffe said.

Bernath said people should see the film to get a better understanding of the issue.

"I'm not sure people understand how urgent this is," Bernath said. "There are real people suffering right now and we can alleviate that suffering by legalizing medical marijuana."

codell.rodriguez@thesouthern.com

351-5804

[palmspringsbum]

Medicinal marijuana laws far too hazy

Editorial, The Daily Illini
September 12th, 2007


In an interview with the Associated Press last week, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin came out in favor of changing federal law to allow physicians to prescribe medicinal marijuana to their patients. While Durbin reiterated that this is not exactly high on his priority list and that he has no specific plans to bring it up in Washington, one wonders how much the federal government needs to be involved in the first place.

For some time now, states have been fighting with the feds over whether there are any medical benefits to marijuana at all, never mind who is responsible for enforcing one law or another.

Currently, 12 states allow doctors to prescribe cannabis to patients. Generally, most of these cases involve illnesses with debilitating symptoms like AIDS and multiple sclerosis. However, despite this being legal on a state level, any medical marijuana user with a valid prescription is still subject to prosecution under federal statutes by the Drug Enforcement Agency and the United States Attorney General.

In Gonzales v. Raich (2005), the United States Supreme Court held in a 6-3 decision that the federal government is empowered to prosecute medical marijuana users regardless of any state law because the drug trade is subject to the Interstate Commerce clause of the Constitution.

But in her dissent, retired Justice Sandra Day O'Conner trumpeted the virtue of state experimentation within the bounds of federalism: "This overreaching stifles an express choice by some States, concerned for the lives and liberties of their people, to regulate medical marijuana differently."

In fact, Illinois decriminalized medical marijuana in 1978, not long after the much criticized "War on Drugs" was launched by President Nixon. But for one reason or another, the Illinois Public Health department has sat on the matter, refusing to rule on whether to give doctors the authorization to prescribe it.

But in other states like California, citizens are caught in the middle of a legal tug of war between state police and federal enforcement agents who quite literally decide what laws they want to enforce at any given time.

The issue's stagnation in Congress begs for states to take the lead in what is increasingly becoming a health care problem, not just a drug problem. What is for sure is that neither states nor federal officials nor American citizens benefit from the status quo of legal purgatory that this country finds itself in regarding marijuana use.

Ironically, this debate boils down to whether or not states should experiment with new things, be it medicinal marijuana or a better approach to federalism.

That's all fine and good I suppose, but there's nothing NEW about medical marijuana.

[palmspringsbum]

Medical Marijuana

by Rachel Aissen, WMBD/WYZZ TV
November 10th, 2007


Making marijuana legal for medicinal purposes is a heated debate across the U.S. The Illinois Congress recently took on the issue and now a film maker is asking Illinoisans to take a second look through his documentary "Waiting to Inhale."

Film maker Jed Riffe said, "Being able to see does it work or doesn't it work scientifically I wanted to see."

Jed Riffe says that's why he took on the issue in his documentary "Waiting to Inhale."

In the film Mae Nutt said, "I asked him if he heard of anything about patients using marijuana."

"I meet patients who were able to get off heavy opiates," said

A law before the Illinois Senate recently addressed the issue.

Illinois Compassion Action Network Director, John Walker said, "The law would have decriminalized the use of medical marijuana."

The law failed in the senate by eight votes. Currently only 13 states have legalized medicinal marijuana.

"If the doctor gave patients a prescription they would take it to the state to get an id card," said Walker.

Opponents say legalizing the drug for medicine is just one step closer to legalizing it for everyone.

"Our goal is to get medicine to patients that need it not to get it on the streets," said Walker.

Doctors haved developed a pill form of marijuana called Marnol that acts to help with appetite.

"Synthetic THC pill is only one of a combination of 140 substance in marijuana and has the best benefit," said Riffe.

The film takes on all these issues and shows the lives of patients seeking treatment.

In the film Mae Nut said, "He said dying can not be worse than this.."

"This is an issue about people. Helping these people get the medication. They need our help and support," said Walker.

The film tour continues Sunday Nov. 11th at in Normal at Illinois State University, Schroeder Hall, Room 138.

Champaign Monday Nov. 12th
Illinois Disciplies Foundation, Wisgarver Hall
610 E. Springfield Ave.
Champaign County Healthcare Consumers.

[palmspringsbum]

Medical marijuana documentary sparks bigger debate

by Deborah J. Siegelbaum, Medill Reports
November 15th, 2007


Grass, pot, weed, bud, dope, cannabis - it’s a drug with many names. In some cultures it is considered a portal to another realm of consciousness, and vilified in others as a gateway drug to a life of addiction. But treatment for symptoms of diseases like AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological disorders? Can it be that this illegal party drug is…a cure?

<span class=postbigbold>The film</span>

These are questions the documentary “Waiting to Inhale” explores. From a brief history of marijuana through its current status as an illegal substance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the film looks at benefits the drug may have that have long been overlooked.

<table class=posttable align=right width=360><tr><td class=postcell><img class=postimg width=360 src=bin/illinois_debate_2007.jpg alt="A panel of experts and patients discussed medical marijuana after a documentary screening at Roosevelt University."></td></tr></table>The documentary, currently screening across North America, met with cheers from the audience at Roosevelt University last Thursday evening. With interviews of doctors, patients, marijuana growers, advocates, opponents, and government officials, the documentary goes beyond a pro-drug propaganda piece. It becomes a convincing argument for how pot can help those in pain who have explored every pharmaceutical drug available.

<span class=postbigbold>The cycle</span>

An overarching theme of the documentary is the current catch-22 for medical marijuana. It is classified as a schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act, labeled as having a high potential for abuse and no current accepted medical use in treatment in the U.S.

As a schedule 1 substance, cannabis can be researched only with federal approval and using a supply provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This government monopoly on access to marijuana for medical testing has made clinical trials next to impossible to get off the ground. Because clinical trials are not undertaken, it is difficult to prove that marijuana could have beneficial properties. And so the cycle continues.

<span class=postbigbold>The panel</span>

A panel of experts and patients led by the film’s director, Jed Riffe, convened after the screening to discuss medical marijuana’s status in limbo.

<table class=posttable align=left width=300><tr><td class=postcell>
<center><span class=postbold>Medical Marijuana in Illinois</span></center>

House Bill 0407, the Medical Cannabis Act, was introduced in the Illinois House by Rep. Larry McKeon, a former Los Angeles police officer, on January 26, 2005. The act “provides that a person who has been diagnosed by a physician as having a debilitating medical condition and the person’s primary caregiver may be issued a registry identification card by the Department of Human Services that permits the person or the person’s primary caregiver to legally possess no more than 12 cannabis plants and two and one-half ounces of usable cannabis.”

Those in possession of a registry identification card are not subject to arrest, prosecution or penalty.

McKeon, himself a patient living with AIDS, has witnessed first-hand the beneficial effects marijuana can have. “I’ve seen medical marijuana help others and know that many physicians recommend it. I don’t know if I will ever need medical marijuana, but no one battling a life-threatening illness should face arrest and jail for simply trying to stay alive,” McKeon said in an interview posted on MedicalMJ.org.

HB0407 is currently under review by the House Human Services Committee. (Actually, it's now - 16 Dec 07 - SB0650)
The use of marijuana for medical purposes is currently legal in twelve states: California, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Last screening of “Waiting to Inhale” in Illinois:
Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007
7 pm – 9:30 pm
Southern Illinois University,
Student Center Auditorium
Carbondale, Illinois

</td></tr></table><span class=postbigbold>The patient</span>

The non-profit marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access, estimates that 300,000 Americans use medical marijuana. Marijuana has become a treatment for those suffering pain from MS, nausea and loss of appetite from AIDS, spasms from neurological disorders and many other ailments that have no set cure. Medical marijuana users report fewer side effects than those associated with legal prescription medications.

Panelist Julie Falco, a patient suffering from MS, described years of pain and frustration trying every pharmaceutical treatment available, most of which made her worse.

“Every time I took a medication, it was just so severe and depressing and discouraging that nothing was working.” Falco started using cannabis in 2004, ingesting it three times daily, and it alleviated the symptoms of her illness to such an extent that she is no longer on any other medication.

“This is the drug that works for me,” she said, even though her treatment of choice is currently illegal.

<span class=postbigbold>The doctor</span>

Dr. Bruce Doblin, an internist and medical ethicist in Chicago, described the difficulty physicians face when patients could be helped by marijuana, but doctors are unable to prescribe it.

“The frustrating thing about being a physician is that you take an oath dedicated to help people. There’s something right out there and it’s not available. What is available are a lot of pain medications that have all sorts of complications – those are very available, but complicated to take and complicated to prescribe.”

A U.S. Department of Justice-appointed judge ruled in May that the DEA end its forty-year government monopoly on the supply of research-grade marijuana available for Food and Drug Administration-approved studies. With the monopoly broken, new medical studies could lead to accepted medical proof that marijuana has benefits in treatment.

This is good news for physicians, but may not be the lynchpin needed to legalize medical marijuana across the U.S. For Doblin, the current status of medical marijuana as a banned substance is not based on its unproven effectiveness in medicine. “There’s decades of good experience showing that medical cannabis works. There’s really no debate about whether it works or not.”

<span class=postbigbold>The law</span>

James Gierach is a former Cook County prosecutor and current member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a non-profit organization of criminal justice professionals advocating the end of drug prohibition.

Gierach described his former viewpoint that drug use was akin to violence, and he prosecuted offenders to the full extent of the law. But, over the years, after “seeing what the drug was has done for us,” he changed his mind.

“The war on drugs not only doesn’t accomplish what it is designed to do - to keep drugs away from young people and save them - it is the heart of nearly any crisis that you can name in America.” Gierach listed issues such as guns, gangs, crime, health care and funding for terrorism as such problems enhanced by prohibition, and stated that “the good guys are on the same side as the drug dealers, and the reason is economics.”

Gierach argued that the underground market for drugs drastically increases their value, to the point that marijuana has more value than gold. Legalizing the drug would remove the economic benefit and make it easier to regulate.

“We must as a nation start discussing the harm that’s being done by the war on drugs, even though it was intended as an altruistic program to save our kids,” Gierach said.

<span class=postbigbold>The politics</span>

Lobbyist John Walker echoed this sentiment, and asked the audience if they were angry in the wake of the documentary screening. He requested that they channel that anger into action, and that they petition Congress to pass legislation legalizing the use of medical marijuana. “We’re at a tipping point…we are going to pass a medical marijuana bill here in Illinois this year. We’ve got to.”

[palmspringsbum]

Dangers, costs of legalizing marijuana too great

Feb 08, 2008 @ 11:47 PM
By JUDY GUENSETH
Guest columnist
The Register-Mail

In the past several decades, drug use in the world has significantly increased. Research has dramatically opened the door for therapeutic answers to cancer, mental illness and chronic illnesses. This has changed the way most people perceive diagnosis and assisted many people to live normal productive lives.

Yet, illegal drug use has also increased greatly and caused an untold number of problems. There is a thin line between therapeutic purposes and misuse of a drug, one that our society must monitor proactively.

The dispute over the legalization of marijuana in general and specifically for medicinal purposes is an intense debate in our communities and law bodies.

The reasons for legalizing this drug are many and include the citation of the legality of cigarettes and alcohol despite their ill effects. Also, many supporters view the legitimizing of marijuana as a means for the government to eliminate the criminal market and to gain income through taxation of the product.

In recent years though, much research has been done regarding the adolescent brain. More and more evidence indicates that the brain is not fully mature until around the age of 25. The insurance industry has long understood this milestone and rates noticeably drop after this age.

Studies involving drug use among teenagers and older adults have also yielded some interesting results in how the brain responds differently to drugs before and after brain maturity. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the studies have shown teen tobacco users are more quickly addicted to nicotine compared to adults, they want more nicotine as adults and become more sensitive to cocaine as adults all because of early exposure to tobacco.

Early use of marijuana also has more adverse effects on youth compared to adults. Again the NIDA studies show that youth who began using cannabis before the age of 17 had significantly lower verbal IQ scores (the ability to think with words) than those who began using at an older age and also compared to non-users. Long-term use was also associated with attitude and personality changes and particularly a condition called “amotivational syndrome.”

According to an April 2002 edition of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for every pack of cigarettes sold, it costs $7.18 in increased health care costs and lost worker productivity. In Illinois, the base tax rate for a pack of cigarettes is 98 cents, hardly enough tax money to recoup the financial cost incurred due to cigarette use.

As it stands, the government is not able to counter the total cost of tobacco use through product taxation and it is unrealistic to think that legalizing cannabis would provide our government a net increase in tax revenues.

There is a psychological barrier to cross when going from legal to illegal substance use. If our country decides to legally peddle this drug to an adult population, it will not stop the ill effects of this drug and it will give adolescents another reason to use a product that will alter their brain and probably make them more sensitive to other drug addictions. Furthermore, statistics show that few youth use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana.

One has to question who benefits from the legalization of marijuana; certainly not the young people who will equate legalization with safety and use the drug more easily because mom and dad left their pack of joints on the counter, or have an older adult purchase it for them. Not to say this doesn’t already happen, but undoubtedly, use will increase.

Granted, the people who use cannabis to alleviate nausea and increase their appetite have a valid need to treat their condition. Yet, the medical community is hesitant to promote the smoking of marijuana as a suitable treatment due to the ill effects of smoking. Much research is being conducted to isolate the active components in cannabis to make safer drugs which can help cancer patients.

Our society is right to prohibit the use of cigarettes and alcohol to underage youth. Research is proving that this action has been a good one due to the higher adverse effects of drugs on the adolescent brain. But just because tobacco and alcohol are legal for adults does not make them safe, yet they are perceived as being safe due to their over the counter access. The same would be true for marijuana.

There is a great risk in legitimizing marijuana, and once that barrier is down, our country will not be able to rebuild that wall. Taxation will not provide nearly enough revenue to counter the ill effects of increased drug use and most of all it will send a false message of safety to everyone, especially to vulnerable young people who cannot afford to adversely alter their brains for the rest of their lives.

Judy Guenseth of Galesburg is the director of CASA and a former writer on The Register-Mail’s Weekly Roundtable.

[palmspringsbum]

Legal marijuana use clearly defined

By JOHN WALKER
Letter to the Editor
The Register-Mail
Posted Feb 16, 2008 @ 11:03 PM

To claim that there is a “thin line” between therapeutic use and misuse of a drug is misleading (“Dangers, costs of legalizing marijuana too great,” Feb. 8 ). The fact is, there are very clear lines that govern drug use — they are called controlled substance laws.

If a medicine is used according to a qualified physician’s recommendation and under her care, then it’s therapeutic. If it isn’t, then it’s misuse.

This is exactly what a medical marijuana bill would do for Illinois — allow the state to set the rules for and oversee a medical marijuana program. Patients with serious, debilitating conditions would be registered with the state, and possession and plant limits would be clearly defined. I believe this is the definition of “proactive monitoring.”

Rational people know that all drugs can be abused. However, the difference between marijuana and your average narcotic prescription painkiller is that dependence, withdrawal and tolerance are generally much lower with marijuana.

It’s good that Illinoisans are finally having a serious discussion about medical marijuana, but let’s not forget what’s really at stake here: ensuring that suffering patients – and nobody else – have safe access to their doctor-recommended medicine without fear of arrest. — John Walker, director of the Illinois Compassion Action Network, Springfield

[palmspringsbum]

The down side to medical marijuana

The Galesburg Register-Mail

By TINA GUMMERSON
Letter to the Editor
Posted Feb 26, 2008 @ 10:34 AM

I work under a state/federal drug prevention grant in Knox and surrounding counties, and I have been deliberating for days on what my response should be to recent pro marijuana letters. I know others will be writing with some other facts so I would like to address the issue of smoked marijuana as a medicine and the propaganda that is being spread throughout our community.

Too often trickery is used in this campaign to legalize marijuana for the “sick.” I sympathize with the plight of sick people all over the world. I personally helped care for my grandmother who died, at home, of colon cancer. I understand the pain and suffering that goes along with a terminal illness. I also know that there were legal medications that kept her as “comfortable” as any drug could have. I also have access to a few other facts that pro marijuana organizations don’t always tell you about.

Smoked marijuana actually weakens your immune system. So it might work great on your nausea or increase your appetite, but it is also going to put you at higher risk for infections. It will also impair your vision, memory, coordination and any semblance of free will you might have had left. Marijuana is a highly addictive drug; 40 percent of teenagers and 24 percent of adults in drug treatment in Illinois are in treatment for marijuana addiction. So if you survive cancer then you have to go through drug treatment to get your life back.

The Institute of Medicine released a study reviewing the medical properties of smoked marijuana. It concluded that “there is little future in smoked marijuana as a medically approved medication.” Here are some other organizations that do not believe smoked marijuana is any kind of medicine: The American Medical Association, The American Cancer Society, The American Academy of Pediatrics and The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. There is evidence that chemicals in the cannabis plant CAN and DO have medical value. There are medications, currently approved by the FDA, made from the active chemicals in marijuana that are used to safely and effectively treat AIDS and cancer patients. In conclusion, this preventionist believes calling smoked marijuana medicine is like calling mold (from which penicillin is made) medicine; I wouldn’t advise eating moldy bread to cure a sore throat. I’d love to give more facts but only have 400 words. Look for more to come. — Tina Gummerson, Galesburg

[palmspringsbum]

Illinois senator working to legalize medical marijuana

The Daily Journal
03/05/2008, 9:00 pm


SPRINGFIELD -- State Sen. John Cullerton is making another run at legislation that would make it easier for the seriously ill to legally use marijuana for medicinal purposes.

"This is about the patients. It's not about somebody abusing this law to illegally obtain marijuana," said Sen. Cullerton, D-Chicago.

Wednesday, a Senate committee approved a measure that would allow people to obtain a state-issued medical marijuana identification card so they could legally possess and use marijuana.

Julie Falco, of Chicago, has suffered from debilitating multiple sclerosis for more than 20 years. To ease the pain, she eats 1-inch marijuana brownie cubes three times a day.

Ms. Falco told lawmakers that she has tried many pharmaceutical drugs for her disease, but marijuana is the only thing that seems to help her symptoms without causing negative side effects. Still, there is always the worry that she will get in trouble, she said.

Sen. Cullerton said the purpose of his bill is to decriminalize the use of marijuana by those who really need it for legitimate medical reasons. A similar bill has been introduced by a Republican lawmaker in the Illinois House.

Under Sen. Cullerton's bill, a medical marijuana program would be administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Qualifying patients would receive an ID card after providing written certification from their doctors.

The program would only be open to those with specified illnesses including cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. Patients could possess up to 8 marijuana plants or designate an approved "caregiver" to grow it for them.

Twelve other states have passed similar laws and Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, said the laws work.

"They are not significantly abused and they help terribly suffering people who can't really get relief except through the use of medical marijuana or medical cannabis," he said.

Opponents like Judy Kreamer, president of the anti-drug group Educating Voices, said problems with people trying to skirt the law have cropped up in California, one of the first states to pass a medical marijuana law.

Sen. Cullerton said his bill isn't as broadly written as California's and should not cause the same concerns.

But Laimutis Nargelenas, deputy director of the Illinois Associations of Chiefs of Police, said law enforcement groups have serious concerns.

"This law, from my standpoint, is nothing more than a ruse to try to legalize marijuana in the state of Illinois," he said. "If they want to do that then I think they need to step forward and not hide behind sick people. Let the people of the state of Illinois have a debate and discussion over whether marijuana is legal or illegal in Illinois."

Illinois technically has had a medical marijuana law on the books since the late 1970s, but the state never followed up with the agency administrative rules necessary to allow that law to be used.

Lawmakers have debated Sen. Cullerton's proposal before, and while in years past he has been able to get it out of committee, he's been short of having the votes needed for Senate approval.

"We expect this is the type of bill which is a long battle, he said. "There's been a number of issues that didn't pass the first time, and we keep coming back until people figure out and believe what we're saying."

[palmspringsbum]

Illinois Senate committee OKs plan to use marijuana as medicine

WTHITV
March 5, 2008 5:54 PM ET

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois has taken a step toward legalizing the medical use of marijuana.

A state Senate committee today voted 6-4 to let people with debilitating illnesses like AIDS or cancer ease their symptoms with marijuana.

Democratic Senator John Cullerton says the vote offers "a glimmer of hope" that his legislation will be approved by the entire General Assembly. The committee approved similar legislation last year, but it was voted down by the full Senate.

The measure would let people possess marijuana if they have a doctor's permission. They could have up to eight cannabis plants and 2 1/2 ounces of usable marijuana at a time.

Violating the law would carry tougher penalties than simple marijuana possession.

Technically, Illinois authorized medical marijuana in 1978. But implementation was left to the Public Health Department and it never took action, so the law has been in limbo.

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Pot proposal a painful one

The SouthtownStar
March 8, 2008

As the state creeps nearer and nearer to full-blown financial crisis, tensions run high at the Capitol, power struggles between the Legislature and the governor abound, morale among Republican lawmakers dips to an all-time low, and what do we find Democratic Senate Majority Whip John Cullerton pushing once again? Legalizing marijuana to relieve chronic pain. The controversial measure passed the Senate Public Health Committee on Wednesday and is on its way to a floor vote.

Despite a similar measure being defeated last spring, the Chicago senator has returned to promote legalizing marijuana once again, this time with a soothing new title: "Alternative Treatment for Serious Diseases Causing Chronic Pain and Debilitating Conditions Act."

The Washington-D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project has hired professional lobbyists to push legalizing medical pot in Illinois, Minnesota and New York. Testifying at Wednesday's hearing were two Marijuana Policy Project lobbyists.

Multiple sclerosis sufferer Judy Valco, of Chicago, told the committee she eats three marijuana-laced brownies each day to relieve her chronic pain. Lindenhurst resident Lisa Lange Van Kamp, who also testified from a wheelchair, said she finds no relief from her osteoarthritis pain other than by ingesting pot on a regular basis.

Cullerton, who championed the statewide public smoking ban last year, assured the committee Senate Bill 2865 was stricter than California's medical marijuana bill. His specifies what conditions warrant medicinal marijuana use and requires medical pot distributors to register with the state and pay a $5,000 setup fee.

Cullerton's legislation would protect marijuana users' rights over those of landlords, who would rather not have medical pot cultivated in their apartment complexes. The Illinois law enforcement community opposes Cullerton's bill because of the difficulty it presents to monitor growing marijuana indoors.

Marijuana gardens, as they're called, attract illegal drug users and dealers and make it impossible to appropriately protect neighborhoods and medical pot-growers at the same time.

Despite the women's passionate testimony, marijuana is not a victimless medication. It is an addictive drug. But lots of drugs are addictive, one might argue. Why should medical marijuana be restricted?

"There is a direct correlation between perception of risk and use; the less risk perceived, the greater the use is," an informational sheet from Educating Voices Inc. says. "The message that marijuana is a medicine, thereby safe, is misleading to kids."

Indeed, it's foolish 12- and 13-year-olds who are likely to try marijuana for the first time.

There is no age restriction for marijuana use in Cullerton's proposal. Use would depend on a doctor's recommendation and obtaining a medical use card. Not only would the patient be given permission to transport pot, so would a patient's assigned designate.

But Illinoisans shouldn't be conned with this phony setup. It is not paranoia to declare Cullerton's proposal just the first step toward full-blown legalization of illicit drugs in Illinois.

The good senator has a track record of progressive legislation. It's his modus operandi.

Cullerton's statewide ban on public tobacco smoking last year hasn't alleviated his concerns about cigarette smoking in Illinois public places. On one hand, he promotes smoking cannabis, but on the other, he's introduced two bills this spring that would further restrict smoking tobacco.

One bill would allow a neighbor to sue another if the neighbor's tobacco smoke "drifts" onto his property. So if you're sitting in your back yard smoking a cigar twice within a seven-day period, your neighbor can sue you for the nuisance you're causing.

Another Cullerton bill allows condominium associations to pass no-smoking bans, thereby expanding the public smoking ban into private homes.

What's wrong with this picture? From a conservative perspective, individual rights are paramount over collectivism. Individual rights are based on the right to own property and enjoy it fully.

But as the old saying goes, "Your freedoms end where my nose begins." Who would ever have thought that meant government would interfere to protect others from offensive odors such as certain types of smoke? That legendary nose of freedom balances the right to clean air with your neighbor's right to enjoy a smoke.

But with marijuana, it's obviously different. Marijuana debilitates a person's reaction time and judgment, just as alcohol does. Children are killed by those intoxicated by hard liquor as well as by illegal drugs.

There's no question Cullerton's latest proposal raises a need for more Food and Drug Administration investigation into so-called alternative treatments for serious diseases. What he's pushing on us now is causing chronic pain in the lower posterior.

I wonder if that would qualify for medical use?

Fran Eaton is a south suburban resident, a conservative activist in state and national politics and an online journalist. She can be reached at featon@illinoisreview.com.

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Medical cannabis bill distinct from legalization

The Pantagraph
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 1:19 AM CDT


In the recent Pantagraph story about a medical cannabis bill advancing to the Illinois Senate ( March 6, Page A8 ), Limey Nargelenas of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police complained about the appearance of patients at the hearing. ``I think it's a shame what they're doing here. They're using sick people here to try to legalize marijuana. I think if the Legislature wants to legalize marijuana, let's talk about it, debate it and see if that's what the people want.''

It's outrageous and a sign of the sickness of special interests for Mr. Nargelenas to imply that the Senate shouldn't be listening to patients when considering a medical bill, but instead should listen to lobbyists like him.

Let's be clear that two very distinct and separate issues are involved here.

The first one is providing a legal means for sick people to get useful medication. Medical cannabis is a matter for patients and their doctors, plus experts such as the American College of Physicians.

If anyone should be ashamed of using sick people, it is those who would deny patients useful medicine for no other reason than to protect the funding for the war against marijuana users.

The second, separate issue is the legalization of marijuana for other purposes.

If Mr. Nargelenas is serious about wanting to debate that to talk about eliminating black market profits, finally regulating use to keep it away from kids, and finding more effective uses for the billions of taxpayer dollars spent annually than making pot profitable for criminals and gangs well then, bring it on. I'll be happy to debate him anytime.

Pete Guither

Bloomington

Copyright © 2008, Pantagraph Publishing Co. All rights reserved.

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Medical cannabis may be legalized in Illinois

The Daily Vidette
By: Kate Stickelmaier, Daily Vidette Senior Staff
Posted: 3/18/08

In a decision on March 5, the Senate Public Health Committee voted 6-4 in favor of allowing the medical use of marijuana to become legal for those with debilitating diseases.

If the law is passed, those with illnesses such as glaucoma, cancer and AIDS could potentially benefit by relieving some of their symptoms through use of the plant.

However, similar legislation was approved by the committee last year and voted down by the Senate in its third reading.

"The one [bill] that I am the most confident in passing is Senate Bill 2865, which would allow patients in Illinois with their doctor's recommendation [to] medicate with cannabis," Dan Linn, executive director of the Illinois chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML), said.

According to Linn, Senate Bill 2865 would allow for patients to grow up to eight plants and possess two and a half ounces of cannabis at a time and would also allow for caregivers to do so for the patients.

"…The bill does allow a 'medical marijuana organization' to be the primary caregiver for a patient and that organization would be able to provide medicine for as many patients as are registered for that 'medical marijuana organization' as their caregiver," Linn said.

Such an organization would be required to pay a fee and register with the Department of Public Health, according to Linn.

"The wasting syndrome associated with HIV/AIDS can be alleviated by using cannabis and the effects of chemotherapy can also be reduced," Linn explained. "The stereotypical 'munchies' are vital for those who cannot stomach the food needed to survive."

The current legislation would carry harsher penalties than simple marijuana possession for those who abuse the medical cannabis program.

"The new bill clearly defines the guidelines for the Department of Public Health to implement a medical cannabis program," Linn said.

Contrary to published reports, a branch of the State Police Department never implemented the law when it was originally passed 30 years ago, according to Kimberly Parker, a Public Health Department spokesperson, said.

"Our agency was never [involved] in the statute," Parker said when referring to the 1978 Cannabis Control Act.

The current bill will be sent to the Illinois Senate floor on April 1.

© Copyright 2008 The Daily Vidette

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Senate should reject medical marijuana bill

The Pantagraph
March 13, 2008


Once again legislators are attempting to pass a bill in the Senate pertaining to medical use of marijuana. As a former law enforcement officer and two-time cancer survivor, I see no valid reason for this to come to pass.

First, there is already a law on the books allowing medical use of marijuana with a prescription. Any physician may issue this for his/her patients. This prevents abuse by not only the patients but by those who would call themselves ``caregivers'' under the new law.

Senate Bill 2865 would allow one ``caregiver'' to distribute the drug for up to five ``patients'' and be allowed to produce the plant in his/her home. They may also be paid for doing this.

It also would allow ``visiting qualified patients'' from out of state to be provided with the drug.

While receiving chemotherapy for over a year in 1989 and again for eight months in 2004, I was provided medications, when needed, that eased my discomfort and enabled me to remain alert at the same time. Those medications still exist.

As far as enforcement is concerned, this would be another disaster for our police.

How, pray tell, do we enforce a law like this without entering someone's home or business? Then what mountain of paperwork will be needed to prove the plants and material used in the production of this drug were indeed used legally or illegally?

How do we prevent the ``visiting patients'' from out of state from receiving this drug, going back home and selling it themselves or using it for other than medical reasons? Enforcement will not be possible.

Please contact your state senators on this. I also urge my fellow law enforcement officers to do the same.

Steve Brienen

Danvers

The writer is former McLean County sheriff.

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Ill. House committee OKs use of medical marijuana

The Chicago Tribune
By Christopher Wills
March 04, 2009

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - People suffering from cancer, AIDS and other diseases could turn to marijuana for pain relief under a plan approved Wednesday by an Illinois House committee despite claims that it would be a step toward legalizing pot.

Under the legislation, people with a doctor’s permission would be eligible for a state registry card allowing up to seven marijuana plants in their homes and 2 ounces of “usable cannabis.” The measure is written to expire after three years.

Advocates say marijuana eases pain without the side effects of heavier drugs and reduces nausea from chemotherapy.

“There is needless suffering going on out there,” said the sponsor, Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie. “Everything else is a sideshow.”

But Rep. Patricia Bellock, R-Hinsdale, said the bill raises serious questions. Will it be misused by people who don’t really have a medical need for marijuana? Would it open the door to outright legalization of pot use in Illinois?

“It is the No. 1 drug that introduces young people to other drugs,” said Bellock, who voted against the measure in the Human Services Committee.

Still, it passed 4-3 and now goes to the House floor.

Thirteen states already have medical marijuana laws that preclude a criminal conviction for use, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

Similar legislation was approved by a state Senate committee last year, but the sponsor never found enough support to call it for a vote. That sponsor, John Cullerton, is now Senate president, so the latest proposal should have an influential supporter if it ever reaches the Senate.

Lang called it a “difficult but not impossible bill to pass” in the House, even as a three-year experiment.

Bellock said she doesn’t object in principle to allowing the use of marijuana for medical reasons, but she fears this plan is too lax. She said a version where the pot is handled by pharmacists would reduce the chance of abuse.

Bellock also questioned whether Illinois could take the step while marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

Technically, Illinois authorized medical marijuana in 1978. But implementation was left to the Public Health Department and it never took action, so the law has been in limbo.

——



The bill is HB2514.

On the Net: www.ilga.gov

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chicagotribune.com

Police dispatcher fired for buying pot says she did right thing

<span class=postbigbold>Marijuana was for sick aunt suffering from breast cancer, she says</span>

By Lisa Black
Tribune reporter
March 17, 2009


<table class="posttable" align="right"><tr><td class="postcell"><img class="postimg" width="300" src="bin/llanes_laura.jpg" title="Laura Llanes"></td></tr></table>Laura Llanes does not regret buying her aunt marijuana, even though it has cost her a job as police dispatcher.

She was stunned, nevertheless, when she was fired last week after admitting she bought the marijuana to help relieve her aunt's suffering through breast cancer and chemotherapy.

Marijuana for medicinal purposes is legal with a prescription in 13 states; Illinois is not one of them.

Llanes, 28, of Lake Villa remains adamant she did the right thing, saying her biggest mistake was telling a few co-workers what she had done: "They ratted me out."

Her aunt, who lives in Aurora, was "sick constantly, not eating, not having an appetite. She is diabetic. She has to eat. She was whittling away to nothing," said Llanes.

"I thought I will get her some marijuana so it would get her to eat. It worked. She did get the munchies."

Llanes has not been charged with a crime, but when confronted by her supervisor at CenCom E-9-11, she admitted she had bought marijuana and was promptly fired Wednesday.

"All that mattered was that I admitted to committing an illegal act," she said.

Llanes said she doesn't use marijuana, but she was able to buy some, enough to make about three joints, for her aunt about two weeks ago through a friend. Her aunt smoked the marijuana and said it worked, but, worried about the legal implications, she declined Llanes' offer to buy more.

Llanes has worked seven years as a police dispatcher, the last four for CenCom E9-1-1 in Round Lake Beach. CenCom serves as a centralized dispatch service for eight north suburban police and fire departments.

Calls to CenCom were referred to director Lisa Berger, who did not return messages Monday.

Llanes' aunt, 60, lived with her in 2008 after undergoing a double mastectomy, Llanes said. She has since moved to Aurora and could not be reached Monday, according to Llanes.

"In Illinois, the law offers these folks no protection at all, unfortunately," said Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, which lobbies for the legalization and regulation of marijuana use.

A prescription drug in pill form called Marinol contains synthetic THC, the main ingredient in marijuana. But it doesn't work for everyone, and its results are slow-arriving and unpredictable, Mirken said.

"If you talk to cancer patients, they don't want to get high," he said. "They just don't want to feel sick."

A bill introduced in the legislature calls for allowing the medicinal use of marijuana in a three-year test program. Critics include the Illinois State Police, which opposes the legislation because of concerns about potential abuse and enforcement.

State Rep. Patricia Bellock (R-Hinsdale) said she opposes the bill because it lacks support from the greater medical community. "There is absolutely no control over this by a pharmacy," said Bellock. lblack@tribune.com

<small>
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
</small>

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Mar 25, 2009 8:12 am US/Central

Hearing Set For Illinois Medical Marijuana Bill

<span class=postbigbold>State Senate To Debate Bill; State House Bill Already Passed Out Of Committee</span>

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) ― The debate over whether to legalize medical marijuana in Illinois will heat up Wednesday in Springfield.

A special legislative subcommittee will hold a hearing Wednesday on Senate Bill 1381, a proposal that would legalize marijuana for those suffering from debilitating medical conditions, including some cancers. The 3 p.m. hearing will be followed by a debate by the Senate Public Health Committee.

The bill "permits the person or the person's primary caregiver to legally possess no more than 7 dried cannabis plants and 2 ounces of dried usable cannabis." It is sponsored by State Sens. William R. Haine (D-Alton), Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), and Jeffrey Schoenberg (D-Evanston).

A similar, separate bill in the state House of Representatives, called the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act, passed the state House Human Services Committee 4-3 on March 9.

Sponsor Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) said HB 2514 was the first medical marijuana proposal that ever got off the House floor.

Lang has said this isn't a drug issue, it's a health issue.

"We're always talking around this building about how we can make people's lives better, the health care system and all the plans that are out there cost millions and millions and billions of dollars," Lang said earlier thismonth. "Here's something we can do to alleviate pain and suffering, it won't cost the taxpayers a dime."

Last time around, a similar bill was narrowly defeated in the Senate. Some people who suffer from painful diseases are hopeful that this time, it's approved.

Julie Falco, 43, of Chicago, bakes with cannabis. She says in her 20-year battle with multiple sclerosis - cannabis is the only drug that has relieved all of her symptoms.

"My high for me, yeah, I'm high, I'm so happy that wow, I found something that relaxes all that pain, and the side effects from all those other drugs I was on, which was keeping me in a zombie-like state and not functioning," Falco said.

But there is opposition, and it's strong – especially among law enforcement groups.

Limey Nargelenas, the deputy director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, says other states with similar laws have reported problems like increased crime around distribution sites and forged medical cards.

<small>(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved</small>

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Springfield legislators weighing dope proposal

The SouthTown Star
April 5, 2009
By Maura Possley, Staff Writer


Diagnosed with cancer at 16, Scott Poplawski turned to marijuana at the urging of his siblings to fight effects of chemotherapy that were ravaging his young body.

He weighed just 86 pounds after eight months of treatment, down from 220.

Marijuana fought off nausea, stomach pain and diarrhea, he said, and it's worked ever since.

He has since lost his bladder and other effects of the chemo linger, but Poplawski is able to maintain a 190-pound frame today.

That's the reason Poplawski, fellow cancer victims and chronic pain sufferers have been lobbying lawmakers on a measure to allow them their medical marijuana.

"Every nerve in my body is waking up, and I am in more pain than I ever was," said fellow advocate Lucie Macfarlane, seated in her Joliet home. "I wake up to pain; I go to bed with pain."

<span class=postbold>Nothing else works anymore</span>

It's been one week since Macfarlane quit taking methadone, just the latest in a long line of prescribed narcotic drugs she has taken the past 12 years for neurofibromatosis, a tumor-causing disease that attacked her spine, leading to surgeries and fusing of vertebrae, and two tumors in her brain.

Macfarlane, a 46-year-old mother of two, prefers to ingest marijuana but currently smokes it to ease her pain.

She's had it with prescription drugs - the Oxycontin, Fentanyl patches, Valium and others.

Her husband, James, often thought she was dead in her sleep because the drugs made Macfarlane ice cold. She said she suffered more than a decade of numbness, weight gain and depression.--

"When you come off it, you realize, 'My God, what have I been doing all these years?' " she said. "Those are 12 wasted years of my life."

The way she sees it, marijuana is her only hope.

The drug allows her to be herself again while battling a disease that won't allow her to see old age.

"I'm not planning to live to be a very old lady," she said. "I would at least like to live the rest of my life not in pain."

This isn't the first time medical marijuana has come across lawmakers' desks.--

Two years ago, it fell short of passage with 22 votes in the state Senate.--

That its sponsor then is now the state Senate president - John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat - gives advocates hope that the measure will get farther than ever before.

A national advocacy group, the Marijuana Policy Project, has also campaigned heavily here for its passage, mirroring efforts across the country.

<span class=postbold>Bills too loosely written</span>

But these proponents are facing down heavy opposition, among it the weighted voice of Illinois law enforcement.

"If you start saying that marijuana is medicine, then pretty soon the kids will start thinking, 'This is good stuff; there's nothing wrong with it; we can take it like Aspirin," said Laimutis Nargelenas, deputy director for the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

Legislation is "so poorly written that we believe they were written by a drug dealer," he said. "It's written so loosely."

Bill sponsors are reacting by tightening provisions in the legislation that regulate who is eligible, including people with cancer, glaucoma, hepatitis C, Crohn's disease and others. Also the bill's drafters are elaborating on how patients would be allowed to obtain the plant, who may write prescriptions for marijuana, and what process state Department of Public Health would use to register users. And finally, they're clarifying that the new law would not conflict with Illinois driving under the influence laws.

The state Senate bill, which has companion legislation in the state House, would allow those with debilitating conditions to possess seven dried cannabis plants and two ounces of dried usable cannabis.

Anyone caught with that amount of marijuana now would face two class 4 felony counts, each of which carries three to six years in prison and a fine up to $25,000.

If passed, the bill would sunset in three years, effectively making it a pilot program.

But law enforcement remains adamant holes in the process would provide more supply for drug dealer demand.

Authorities also say the level of THC - or tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical produced by the plant - must be regulated. The only way to do that, they say, is to put it behind a pharmacy counter. Patients like Macfarlane would prefer to get their marijuana through a distributing dispensary.

"Let's not have people going out there self-administering to themselves," Nargelenas said. "If you're going to have medical marijuana, then let's treat it like medicine."

<span class=postbold>'We're dying to get this passed'</span>

Macfarlane thinks police officers and politicians concerned about marijuana as a street drug are missing the bigger picture.

She's had a cabinet full of addictive, possibly lethal, painkillers - all legally prescribed by doctors - that are just as likely to be abused by the drug users law enforcement agencies are worried about.

"They're worried about a plant that teenagers can get anyway," Macfarlane said.

Law enforcement officials and drug policy experts say there's a rising tide of prescription drug abuse in America, including among teenagers.

In 2007, 2.1 million people abused or were dependent on psychotherapeutics used non-medically, according to the federal government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

And seven of the top 10 drugs abused by teens in 2008 were prescribed or purchased over the counter, a study done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found.

Despite the alarming trend of prescription drug abuse, experts say when it comes to marijuana legislation, it's hard to miss the line drawn in the sand.

Authorities opposing legal medicinal marijuana use see a host of problems.

"(This) makes it so much easier for people to get their hands on this marijuana and they're not even sure what they're smoking," Nargelenas said.

While those who are ill, like Macfarlane and Poplawski, see responsible use as a way to get pain-free days to enjoy the only life they have.

"We're dying to get this passed," Macfarlane said. "This has to be the year because I don't know how much longer I can take this."

Maura Possley can be reached at mpossley@southtownstar.com or at (708) 633-5993.

Thirteen states have enacted similar medical marijuana laws:

• Alaska

• California

• Colorado

• Hawaii

• New Mexico

• Maine

• Michigan

• Montana

• Nevada

• Oregon

• Rhode Island

• Washington

• Vermont

Source: Marijuana Policy Project

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Medical Marijuana Bill On Backburner Despite New Obama Policy

Huffington Post | Tim Taliaferro
First Posted: 10-19-09 06:34 PM | Updated: 10-20-09 12:50 PM


A bill to legalize medical marijuana that narrowly passed the Illinois Senate in May faces an uncertain future in the General Assembly in spite of what may be the most favorable conditions for passing medical cannabis legislation in decades.

Progress toward legalizing the use of medical marijuana by the terminally or chronically ill continues at a glacial pace in Illinois, despite wide popular support, the willingness of both Gov. Pat Quinn and his gubernatorial primary rival, state Comptroller Dan Hynes, to consider it, and renewed assurance from the White House that the federal government will not prosecute patients or caregivers who comply with state medical marijuana laws.

Bill sponsor Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat, said last week that an overwhelming majority of House members have told him privately that they support the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act yet are unwilling to do so publicly.

"If every legislator who told me we should pass this bill actually voted for it, we'd pass it tomorrow," Lang told the Huffington Post. "But we have too many legislators who don't have the courage of their convictions."

Quinn would give "serious consideration" to a medical marijuana bill that reaches his desk, campaign spokeswoman Elizabeth Austin told the Huffington Post last week.

Hynes, who is challenging Quinn in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, said earlier this month he supports the idea of legalizing medical marijuana but wants to see the details before endorsing a plan.

A poll commissioned by the pro-decriminalization Marijuana Policy Project before the Senate bill was first considered in 2008 found 68 percent of Illinoisans support legalizing medical marijuana.

After a year of revisions, delays and some heated floor debate, the Senate version of the bill passed 30-28-1 last session. Law enforcement agencies and medical groups largely opposed it.

Eight "nay" votes and the one "present" vote were from Democrats. Two "yea"s came from Republicans. The rest split along party lines.

The Illinois State Medical Society has opposed the legalization of medical marijuana since 1976, in part because of worries about the side effects of smoking marijuana and in part because it would like to see more scientific data on what constitutes appropriate doses.

The society does support further research on medical marijuana. But on the question of legalizing medical marijuana use for terminal cases or patients with chronic diseases- the target of the current legislation- the group has no opinion.

"That question specifically has never come up for a vote," society president Dr. James Milam told the Huffington Post. Milam added that the the bill's sponsors have never approached him about the legislation.

Several House members said they doubt the bill will come up before the February primary because legislators are loathe to vote on what they perceive as controversial issues without knowing who their primary opponent will be.

State. Rep. Deborah Mell, a Chicago Democrat, said she decided to co-sponsor the House version of the bill after she got more calls to her office from both liberals and conservatives in support of legalizing medical marijuana than all other issues combined.

Yet Mell echoes a common perception among legislators that medical marijuana is a liberal issue, even though many conservative voters support it.

"This is a very conservative state in terms of issues like that," Mell said. "People who support it are either liberals or people who have experience with chronic suffering."

"That mailer writes itself," State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) said. "Candidate X voted to make marijuana easier for your children to get and is tearing apart the fabric of our communities."

Franks supports the idea of alleviating people's suffering but said he hasn't yet seen the Senate bill.

As it moved through the Senate last session, the bill grew steadily more stringent. Tighter controls were placed on obtaining prescriptions, fewer cannabis plants were allowed per patient and law enforcement personnel took on a greater role in a committee set up to supervise the system.

The bill also includes a sunset provision, meaning it expires after three years and must be re-approved by the General Assembly.

The Illinois system would most closely resemble Colorado's, said Dan Linn, executive director of the Chicago-based nonprofit Illinois Cannabis Patients Association.

Since the Colorado medical marijuana program started in 2001, 13,102 people have applied for permit cards, with 29 applicants rejected and 18 cards revoked, according to statistics from the Colorado public health department published in July. More than 800 doctors have prescribed medical marijuana for their patients.

Medical marijuana legislation is being considered in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Michigan's legalized medical marijuana program went into full effect in April.

Despite growing momentum for legalizing medical marijuana, Lang said he's unwilling to call it for a vote until he's sure it can pass, something he acknowledged likely won't happen this year.

"I will not call that vote and have it lose," Lang said. "This is a bill I know will pass, if not this year then next, if not next year then the year after that. It has to. It's humane and it's the right thing to do."
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