Pubdate: Thu, 15 Jan 2015
Source: Chicago Sun-Times (IL)
Copyright: 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/5QwXAJWY
Website: http://www.suntimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/81

ROLL OUT MEDICAL POT PROGRAM RESPONSIBLY

It's understandable that Gov. Bruce Rauner wants to take his own hard 
look at Illinois' process for awarding medical marijuana licenses, 
just so long as it's not a backdoor way to kill the whole program.

Much as we sympathize with the many ill and suffering people eager 
for legally available medical marijuana, this is a field easily 
exploited, most notably by organized crime, and taking a little more 
time to get it right is only responsible.

Rauner says he wants to make sure the state's medical marijuana pilot 
program- authorized by a law signed on Aug. 1, 2013- has been 
properly managed. Fair enough. Our concern is that he doesn't just 
run out the clock on the current pilot program, due to expire in 
2017, and let the initiative die. That would be unfair to the 
legitimate entrepreneurs who have paid some $5 million in fees for a 
chance to run a medical marijuana cultivation center or dispensary.

More to the point, it would be unfair to hundreds, perhaps thousands, 
of suffering people in Illinois who have been waiting years for legal 
access to pot as a way to ease their pain.

Gov. Pat Quinn declined to sign off on the licenses in a last-minute 
rush in the last days of his administration. Good for him. Better to 
get it right. Now it's up to Rauner-who ripped the program's 
administration while on the campaign trail - to explain exactly what 
he thinks is wrong with the current process, fix it and get on with 
it. Some 650 people already have obtained a doctor's authorization 
for medical marijuana and, once the program rolls out, there will be many more.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has had all the applications 
in hand since Sept. 22, and ought to have a pretty good idea by now 
which ones are up to snuff. It shouldn't take long for Rauner to 
review the work done so far and green-light worthwhile applications.

Rauner worries medical marijuana supporters because he's made his 
skepticism clear. But, as he said this week, the law is on the books. 
His job is to make sure medical pot in Illinois is rolled out 
responsibly, and relatively quickly.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom