The Sun-Times editorial of May 13 calling for the Illinois Senate to legalize medical marijuana gets it just right. HB 1 will help people suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, HIV, spinal disease, ALS and other terrible ailments. These people should not be dismissed as "anecdotes." The Sun-Times Editorial Board is also right to hope that, once legislators see this law functioning well and providing relief, it can be amended to make the pilot program permanent and open to individuals in debilitating pain whose doctors recommend it. [continues 219 words]
Once again this year, in the final days of the outgoing General Assembly before Jan. 9, a coalition of advocates and patients is seeking to legalize medical marijuana in Illinois. We are very close to success, but the last votes are always the hardest to get. Sometimes when I tell friends what I am working on - medical marijuana - - I am a little defensive. They might see this as a fringe issue. They might wonder why I am spending so much time on it. Whatever the reason, I feel the need to explain. [continues 469 words]
Acts of political courage are not all that common these days. That's why County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's presence at a June 17 rally in downtown Chicago calling for an "End to the War on Drugs" was a singular event. Showing up might seem to have been a no-brainer. She was given the opportunity to make the case for saving the county money and lives: "The War on Drugs has failed to eradicate drug use, instead it has resulted in the incarceration of millions throughout the nation and annually 100,000 (8,500 at any one time) here in Cook County. [continues 510 words]
Yes, it is true that we would learn a lot about the potential for medical marijuana from the kinds of clinical trials required by the Food and Drug Administration, as pointed out in your article of April 28. But it would have been helpful if you had pointed out why these studies haven't been carried out. The federal government, specifically the Drug Enforcement Administration, won't request them. They either are opposed to the idea or are afraid of the political consequences, which is silly since over 70 percent of the American public supports cannabis as medicine. [continues 129 words]
If a member of your family, a close friend or even a neighbor whom you did not know very well were in severe pain, wouldn't you want to do what you could to help relieve their suffering? Of course you would - as a matter of compassion and mercy. Marijuana provides relief not available in any other way to sufferers of chronic and severe pain from cancer, multiple sclerosis and other illnesses. I have met those for whom this is true. In some cases, the relief from pain has saved their lives - literally. [continues 522 words]
Two years ago, if you had asked whether legalizing medical marijuana should be a high priority for religious people, I would have smiled politely and said "no." Things change. Last Saturday, I participated in a press conference on behalf of Protestants for the Common Good to support the passage of the "Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act," Senate Bill 1381. This bill was approved in the Illinois Senate last spring and is pending in the House. Why is this bill so important? The first reason is simple. Passing this legislation would be an act of compassion and mercy. Victims of cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and other serious health problems have given compelling testimony that cannabis (the technical term for marijuana) provides relief from pain and suffering. This relief often can come in no other way. [continues 446 words]
Your editorial supporting the partial decriminalization of marijuana in Cook County was right on the money. We must find better ways to deal with the possession of small amounts of pot than jail time and a permanent criminal record. Why? Our local governments need all the cash they can get to deal with serious social problems -- underfunded schools, health care for the poor, and crumbling infrastructure, among other things. We have no money to waste. Yet today, we're spending dollar upon dollar arresting, prosecuting, and incarcerating people for nonviolent behavior that could be corrected through inexpensive treatment. Is that a wise use of taxpayer money? [continues 114 words]
