ILLINOIS NEEDS LAW ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Voters in Michigan approved their medical cannabis proposal, following
12 other states in allowing doctors to recommend cannabis for serious
medical conditions.

This should come as no surprise since polling on this issue shows
consistent support for allowing sick people to use medical marijuana
pursuant to the recommendation of a physician. In Illinois a lot of
progress was made during the 2008 legislative session with the
Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Pilot Program bill. SB 2865
picked up three new co-sponsors this year, and the bill's lead
sponsor, Sen. John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, sat down with law
enforcement to listen to their concerns and then amended the bill to
address those concerns.

SB2865 passed the Senate Public Health Committee with a 6-4 vote and
is now awaiting a vote on the Senate floor, which must take place by
January 13, 2009, per legislative rule.

Doctors can legally prescribe many otherwise illegal substances, such
as OxyContin and morphine. The same should be true for cannabis,
especially since there has not been one documented overdose fatality
from cannabis, which is not true for many substances found in most
homes' medicine cabinets.

Ultimately, the decision of what medicine is best for an illness
should be left up to the patient and the doctor, not prosecutors and
police.

Dan Linn

Chicago