Pubdate: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 Source: Time Out Chicago (IL) Contact: 2007 Time Out Chicago Website: http://www.timeout.com/chicago/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4491 Author: Leah Pietrusiak Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal) 5 MINUTES WITH DAN LINN WEED WARRIOR New Mexico just became the 12th state to pass a bill legislating the growth and use of medical marijuana. When the Illinois state Senate reconvenes this week, it will consider a similar bill, SB 650. Dan Linn heads the Illinois chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). How do you think the bill will fare? I don't think Sen. [John] Cullerton, who's a Democrat from Chicago and sponsored the bill, would have put his name on it unless he was confident it would go through. A lot of people are coming out of the woodwork...it's a public-health issue, and a lot of people don't realize that. It doesn't have to do with teen drug use or legalization. Who will it benefit? People suffering from cancer and the effects of chemo, HIV...one patient who suffered from multiple sclerosis had severe nerve pain, and her medication would keep her up all night, give her diarrhea, plus it was very expensive. To combat the spasms, she eats three [pot] brownies a day; it's also cost-effective. A support group called Medical Working Cannabis Group meets in Oak Park every month. What would the law allow? For a patient or their caregiver to have 12 plants in locked quarters and 2.5 ounces of usable cannabis, and they would be put on a registry by the Illinois Department of Public Health. It would also allow for dispensaries where growers could trade strains; they're finding that certain strains help certain illnesses. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake