Pubdate: Sat, 01 Jun 2013
Source: Pantagraph, The  (Bloomington, IL)
Copyright: 2013 Pantagraph Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.pantagraph.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/643
Author: Steve Vogel

MEDICAL MARIJUANA WILL BE HIGHLY REGULATED IN STATE

Area farmers who've seen marijuana growing well and wild in and along
their fields may think they might have a new cash crop if Gov. Quinn
signs the medical marijuana legislation sent him by the General
Assembly. Not so fast, agri-entrepreneurs.

Sponsors of the measure passed last month without the help of area
lawmakers say theirs is the most restrictive medical marijuana
legislation in the nation. Dispensaries, physicians and patients would
be subject to strict regulation. So would growers, and there wouldn't
be many of them.

Not more than 22 marijuana "cultivation centers" would be authorized
in Illinois -- one in each state police district (one district
includes McLean, Livingston and DeWitt counties). The pot would have
to be grown in an "enclosed, locked facility" with 24-hour
surveillance and weekly inventories of every plant.

Supporters are confident Quinn will sign the bill. If he does,
Illinois would be the 18th state to legalize medical marijuana and the
second most populous, behind California.

Landfill report

We're now three months past the date when the federal EPA said it
expected a final report from the U.S. Geological Survey on groundwater
samples collected more than a year ago at the Clinton Landfill. The
question is whether Area Disposal should be allowed to store
cancer-linked PCB waste in the landfill's chemical waste area that
sits atop the Mahomet aquifer. U.S. Sen.r Dick Durbin's office says
the EPA is still waiting for the USGS report.

A cutting story

With State Farm marking its 91st birthday next week, I offer this on
something that supposedly really did happen decades ago:

Company founder G.J. Mecherle spotted his son and company employee,
Raymond, leaving the firm's downtown Bloomington building during work
hours.

"Where are you going?" G.J. asked.

"To get a haircut," Raymond answered.

"During office hours?"

"It grew during office hours."

"Not all of it."

"I don't plan to get it all cut off."

There's no record on whether the haircut was delayed.

This and that

The crackdown on speeders on Veterans Parkway is long overdue =C2=85 now 
if
we can just do something about drivers who speed through yellow lights
as they turn red =C2=85 Signs along the interstates as you approach the
Twin Cities invite you to tune your radio to AM 1610 for tourist
information, but I never hear anything on that channel =C2=85 I find it
refreshing when someone sings the "Star Spangled Banner" without a lot
of musical embellishments =C2=85 What's sadder than deleting a
recently-deceased person's phone number from the contacts list on your
cellphone? ... It's not until you drive through other states that you
discover the relatively poor shape Illinois roads are in =C2=85 Now that
former Congressman Anthony Weiner is a candidate for mayor of New
York, his PR person will surely have to come up with a substitute
phrase for "Weiner photo op" =C2=85 If you're a son or daughter with a da
d
of a certain age, here's a really good Father's Day gift idea: Give
him a couple hours of tech help.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt