Delays, Legal Challenges Send Patients to Streets

A year and a half after Illinois lawmakers voted to legalize medical marijuana, Marla Levi is still waiting.

Levi has multiple sclerosis, uses a wheelchair and said she ingests marijuana to help her manage the symptoms. If she wants to continue, she'll have to get it on the street because medical marijuana in Illinois isn't expected to be available for several more months.

A series of snafus has delayed the rollout of the program. Now lawsuits challenging the licensing process are further complicating efforts, and a judge has granted a court order delaying the issuance of one cultivation license until the mess can be straightened out.

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Expert Rips Rahm's Positive Spin on Impact of Pot- Law Enforcement on Blacks, Hispanics

The Emanuel administration has touted as a sign of "progress" statistics showing that the percentage of arrests to tickets in marijuana cases was about the same for blacks, Hispanics and whites in 2014.

But a deeper dive into the numbers tells a more complex story, one that's raising a question among some critics of how much progress is actually being made.

When you look at the raw numbers, blacks were busted 16 times more than whites for small amounts of pot in 2014- including tickets and arrests. And for every white Chicagoan busted for marijuana, four Hispanics were busted, according to police statistics. Those stats come despite the fact that white Chicagoans outnumber both black and Hispanic Chicagoans by a ratio of approximately 3- to- 2.

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Two marijuana bills are now being considered in the Illinois State Senate and Illinois House.

The Cannabis Penalties Bill, HB 218, introduced by Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, and co-sponsored by Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana/Champaign, and Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, would replace criminal penalties with a $100 fine. The bill would eliminate the possibility of arrest and jail time with offenders caught possessing up to 30 grams of marijuana. Offenders would be issued a $100 "=C2=80=C2=9CUniform Cannabis=

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I am writing about the not-so-thoughtful Feb. 8 letter from Robert F. Becker: "Marijuana is not the answer to our problems."

Marijuana is certainly the answer for my chronic pain, which is caused by my spinal stenosis and spinal scoliosis.

Two of the medications prescribed by my doctor, Meloxicam and Linsospril, and used as prescribed almost killed me by destroying my kidneys. My bloodwork number, which is supposed to be greater than 61, was down to 17. If that number had gotten down to 15, I probably would have died from kidney failure.

All medications have side effects. Marijuana is not really a drug but rather a plant and natural herb - a natural herb that has never killed anyone in the 6,000-year history of its use.

Kirk Muse, former Freeport resident

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It's OK for Illinois Physicians to Get into the Medical Marijuana Business- As Long As They Don't Recommend It to Patients

At least three Illinois doctors are getting into the legal medical marijuana business, according to a review of records of the companies recently approved to grow and sell marijuana.

The rules say that's OK as long as they don't recommend marijuana to their patients.

But physicians' involvement in the medical marijuana industry raises questions about the potential for conflicts of interest.

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The conflict between the states and the federal government when it comes to legalized medical marijuana may play out in an Illinois court.

What is believed to be the first lawsuit regarding medical marijuana licenses in Illinois was filed Friday in downstate Coles County by a business that lost out in its bid to get a license to grow medical marijuana.

The business, Shiloh Agronomics LLC contends that the company it lost out to, Shelby County Community Services Inc., was improperly given the license because it is a nonprofit organization that receives tax benefits from the Internal Revenue Service, a federal agency.

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Seventy some years ago in my youth, I learned drugs and alcohol would mess up people mentally, they could harm themselves and others. A high school mate researched the dangers of marijuana and warned us to avoid it and other narcotics. As a young adult, I experienced and saw tragic life-altering effects of addictive drugs, alcohol and games learned to shun them and live a happy life.

So, I am aghast at the headline "Pot production raises hopes," and the euphoria over resurrection of Mill Race tax profiteering. I seriously question anyone pushing marijuana as a life-saving medical substance when it cures nothing. Whom besides tax addicts and users insist it is medicine?

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The prospect of medical marijuana for sale in your Illinois neighborhood may seem unreal.

But for a truly mind-blowing experience, even without trying the wares, consider a glimpse at the next step on the legalization continuum: its sale for recreational use.

The recreational use of pot became legal in Colorado in 2014. Which means that a ski vacation there now offers an additional kind of adventure.

On our recent ski trip to Telluride with friends, my adult daughter proposed that we take a look. Not necessarily a taste; her drug of choice is a gin martini. But why waste an opportunity, she asked, to see a legal marijuana store?

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Number Below Initial Estimates; Backlog Exists for Businesses' Out-Of-State Checks

The number of approved medical marijuana patients in Illinois has reached about 1,000, officials announced this week.

While the number remains far below initial projections, it's a noticeable increase from 650 one month ago.

"Some people may be waiting until the product is actually available," Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said.

That earlier number was "terrifying" for medical marijuana business owners, said Mark Passerini, president of the Illinois Cannabis Industry Association, who had said it's not a sustainable business unless more patients sign up.

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Rauner Awarding Farming, Selling Licenses That Quinn Didn't Issue

The marijuana seeds can soon be planted.

In a move that surprised advocates of the medical marijuana program, Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration on Monday announced it would issue most of the coveted licenses to grow and sell the medical product.

The move came amid fears Rauner would take months to determine who should be awarded the new state licenses.

Patients and medical marijuana advocates lauded the governor for taking swift action on the licenses, allowing the medical marijuana program to gain momentum.

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Maybe drug cartels wouldn't terrorize Mexico and Central America - our gift to our southern neighbors.

Maybe drunks wouldn't kill so many on our highways, or our health care system wouldn't be so overwhelmed and costly. Maybe not so many families would fall apart and our cities wouldn't be bloodstained by gang wars - or so many adolescent lives wasted before they could even get started.

Time to face it: We've become a nation of addicts. So many addictions it's hard to list them all. Alcohol. Tobacco, nicotine and vaping on electronic cigarettes. Sugar, fat, junk food. Sex and pornography, the addictions of the mind, body and soul.

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At the groundbreaking for a charter school in Chicago's Austin neighborhood, Gov. Bruce Rauner slammed his predecessor, saying Pat Quinn has left him plenty of work to do.

Asked about how he plans to deal with Illinois' new medical marijuana law, he described it as a "mess" that Quinn had created and "then ran away from."

After weeks of anticipation- and in a move that appeared to leave many of his staff surprised and embarrassed - Quinn left office without issuing any licenses to grow or sell medical marijuana in Illinois.

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Although the state's medical marijuana program remains in limbo, with patients and entrepreneurs waiting for the state to get it rolling, it's not coming cheap.

So far, the startup cost has been more than $1.8 million, most of it for computer software, records show.

The Illinois Department of Public Health, using money from the dedicated Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Fund, has shelled out nearly $1.5 million to Iron Data Solutions Inc. for the software used to house the registry of patients and caregivers allowed to purchase medical marijuana, according to records from the Illinois Comptroller's office.

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When someone wants treatment to end a heroin addiction, insurance shouldn't hold him back.

That's the perspective of addiction treatment professionals who say the biggest issue they face with insurance companies is disagreements over whether a patient meets the medical criteria for a certain type of care.

Instead of starting all drug rehab patients in residential treatment at the highest level of care or in occasional outpatient visits at the lowest, treatment providers say the approach should be somewhere in the middle.

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What a shame that it's not looking good for medical marijuana in Illinois.

Illinois became the 20th state to allow medical marijuana under a pilot program approved Aug. 1, 2013. Yet, the process dragged on, and former Gov. Pat Quinn left office without finalizing it. Now our current governor has said, "I'm concerned about the process," so the waiting game continues.

Here's why I think the situation is where it is: too many people in Illinois are letting their past ideas about marijuana cloud the issue.

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Costs Adding Up for Medical Pot Entrepreneurs

In the world of medical marijuana entrepreneurs in Illinois, there's plenty of green behind the grass. Hundreds of would-be medical marijuana growers and sellers have put millions of dollars on the line hoping for coveted state permits that were supposed to be issued by former Gov. Pat Quinn by the end of last year.

To snag those valuable permits, the entrepreneurs hired consultants, lawyers and lobbyists.

They're already paying rent in some cases, or have money tied up in options to buy property.

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Gov. Pat Quinn created all sorts of mischief in his final days in office, but he got one thing right: He didn't sign off at the last minute on licenses to grow and sell medical marijuana in Illinois.

He left that to his successor, and his successor said Tuesday he's in no rush to act.

There is every reason for Gov. Bruce Rauner to be careful about this.

The public knows almost nothing about the applicants for the coveted licenses to run 21 growing facilities and 60 dispensaries across the state.

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The state's medical marijuana czar is staying put as the new governor issues pink slips to some state employees.

Bob Morgan, a lawyer and the coordinator of the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program, is "staying aboard for now," said Gov. Bruce Rauner's spokesman, Lance rover.

The news was welcomed by some worried that Morgan would be immediately fired by the Republican Rauner, as he cleans house. The program has already suffered setbacks and delays because former Gov. Pat Quinn did not issue the business licenses needed to get the program going.

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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.

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Up in Smoke!

It's a no!

In the wake of Gov. Pat Quinn's exit from office Monday, Sneed has learned he will NOT give a green light to Illinois license applications to cultivate and distribute medical marijuana- and will toss a safety wrench into the marijuana mix.

Sneed has also learned Gov. Quinn, who had been urging caution in the state's medical marijuana process, will sign legislation Monday to further tighten the new medical marijuana laws.

Under the changes Quinn is signing into law, the Department of Agriculture will have the power not only to revoke marijuana growers' licenses, but also to suspend them.

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