Pubdate: Wed, 17 Apr 2013 Source: Chicago Sun-Times (IL) Copyright: 2013 Sun-Times Media, LLC Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/5QwXAJWY Website: http://www.suntimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/81 Page: 23 LATEST MEDICAL POT BILL LOOKS RIGHT FOR ILLINOIS After years of near-misses, medical marijuana finally may be coming to Illinois. It is about time. Past time. Advocates have tried to legalize medical marijuana here for years. They've finally constructed a bill that is sufficiently strict enough - the strictest in the nation, apparently. This leaves opponents without the wiggle room they've long relied on to avoid supporting a bill that would bring relief to seriously ill people. A vote on the medical marijuana bill is expected Wednesday in the Illinois House. In the name of compassion, we urge a yes vote. Less restrictive versions have previously passed the Senate. The big hurdle, then, is the House. Eighteen other states plus D.C. already allow sick citizens to find relief through medical marijuana. Marijuana can reduce the nausea caused by anti-cancer drugs, is effective in improving the appetite of AIDS patients and in treating the pain of multiple sclerosis and eye pressure caused by glaucoma. On Tuesday, some 250 Illinois doctors offered support for medical marijuana. Backers of this bill have gone to great lengths to tighten it up to allay opponents' concerns. The bill, a four-year pilot, would strictly regulate who can get medical pot, when and where. Prescriptions would be limited to about 30 illnesses, such as cancer, Crohn's disease and MS, and must come from a doctor with an established relationship to the patient. Patients would be limited to 2.5 grams every two weeks, purchased only from designated dispensaries. Every sale would be recorded for tracking purposes. Patients could not grow their own pot, as is allowed in California. There is deep support among the public for legalizing medical pot, according to a recent poll. The only holdup is timid politicians afraid of looking soft on drugs at the expense of sick neighbors and friends in dire need of relief. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt