Pubdate: Mon, 2 May 2011 Source: Chicago Tribune (IL) Copyright: 2011 Chicago Tribune Company Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/IuiAC7IZ Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/82 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?259 (Cannabis - Medicinal - Illinois) THERAPEUTIC POT The Illinois legislature is close to legalizing medical marijuana. Before you scream in protest, or launch into a Cheech and Chong joke, give this some consideration. Illinois could pass a model law for the rest of the country. The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis act, sponsored by Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), could pass the House this week, thanks in large part to a change in position by House Republican leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego). The timing may finally be right. The Senate approved a medical marijuana bill in 2009, but the House narrowly rejected it last January. A revised bill has gained the support of Cross, a former Kendall County prosecutor. He says he's comfortable with the strict guidelines written into this version. Lang's collaboration with House Republicans has produced a careful piece of legislation. Cannabis could be used in place of painkillers that have harsh side effects and can be addictive. Prescriptions would have to be renewed every two weeks and would be limited to 2.5 ounces, which would limit any efforts to resell for recreational use. A patient would be prohibited from driving for 12 hours after consuming marijuana. Patients could buy only from a state-licensed dispensary for serious, specific medical conditions. They could not legally grow marijuana. The law would sunset in three years, so the legislature would have to evaluate the whole thing at that time. In short: the law would likely avoid what has happened in some states, where "medical marijuana" is available to practically anyone just looking to get high. The therapeutic benefits of marijuana are still hotly debated, but the idea of whether to permit medical use apparently is pretty well settled for most citizens of Illinois. A Mason-Dixon poll in 2008 found 68 percent supported allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to people who are seriously ill. The support was consistent across the state - 70 percent in the Chicago area, 65 percent Downstate. Some people who aren't ill probably will take advantage of the law, though there are penalties for that. More likely, seriously ill people who now resort to buying marijuana illegally to alleviate their suffering will obey the law. Better to make sure cannabis is regulated and the sale to patients is aboveboard. Cross met with some of those patients, including a disabled veteran, and says those face-to-face meetings helped to change his mind. This is a reasonable, restrictive bill, and it should pass the House and Senate. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake