Pubdate: Thu, 6 Mar 2008
Source: Times, The (Ottawa, IL)
Copyright: 2008 The Times, LLC
Contact:  http://mywebtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4426
Author: Stephanie Sievers
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

LAWMAKER LIGHTS UP MEDICAL POT BILL AGAIN

Illinois 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 Cullerton, D-Chicago.

A Senate committee on Wednesday approved the 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.

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

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 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 eight 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.

But 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.

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," Nargelenas said.

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 Cullerton's proposal before and while in 
year's past he has been able to get it out of committee, he's been 
short of having the votes needed to be approved by the Senate.

"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." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake