Pubdate: Fri, 07 Jan 2011
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)
Copyright: 2011 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/qFJNhZNm
Website: http://www.stltoday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/418
Author: Hannah Hess
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?259 (Cannabis - Medicinal - Illinois)

ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE SHOOTS DOWN MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.   The Illinois House on Thursday narrowly voted 
down the authorization of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

The bill would have allowed people suffering from chronic pain or 
nausea caused by certain debilitating conditions to be prescribed a 
potent dose of cannabis to alleviate the symptoms. It fell four votes 
short of passage.

The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, pledged to continue 
pushing toward legalizing the illicit herb. "I am going to continue 
to press on - on this particular piece of legislation, or some 
version of it - until I pass it," Lang said. "Next year, the year 
after ... I'm a young man. I'll be here awhile."

For Jaime Clayton, a Grafton man who has coped with AIDS for 22 
years, approval of the measure has been "a long time coming." He 
participated in a clinical trial of medical marijuana at the 
University of California San Francisco in 2002 and has been an 
advocate ever since. A study said trial participants enjoyed 
increased appetite and weight gain without weakening their immune systems.

"A little bit of relief, a little bit of compassion ... that's the 
selling point," Clayton said.

The bill would have established a three-year pilot program for 
Illinois. Opponents say legalizing marijuana for medical purposes 
would send the wrong message to youth, potentially serving as a gateway drug.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom