STATE CAPITOL Q&A: MEDICAL MARIJUANA BACK UP FOR DEBATE IN SENATE

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - This week, State Capitol Q&A examines the issue of
medical marijuana, which is the subject of legislation introduced by Sen.
William Haine, D-Alton. If Haine's Senate Bill 1381 eventually becomes law,
people with certain kinds of medical problems would be able to legally use
marijuana to ease their discomfort.

Q. How would this work?

A. Under Haine's bill, people who want to use marijuana for medical
purposes would have to obtain a physician's diagnosis that they have a
debilitating medical condition. That designation could apply to people
with glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy and other ailments, as well as to
people undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

After getting the diagnosis, they would be eligible for a special card
from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The card would entitle
the ill person and his or her primary caregiver to possess marijuana
legally, though the amounts would be limited to seven dried cannabis
plants and 2 ounces of dried usable cannabis.

The bill includes a built-in expiration date, or what is called a
"sunset" provision. It would lapse three years after becoming law.
Haine said the provision is intended to address the concerns of law
enforcement officials who think the measure could "become a
springboard to legalized marijuana."

Q. What are the arguments for and against this proposal?

A. Supporters say they are trying to show compassion toward the
seriously ill, who can reap medical benefits from marijuana because it
relieves pain and other discomfort, such as nausea. At present, people
who use marijuana for medical purposes can be punished as criminals.

"We've been trying to protect these people from arrest for using
medicine their doctors recommend," said Dan Linn, executive director
of the Illinois chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws.

Thirteen other states already let physicians recommend the use of
marijuana for their patients, Linn said.

The issue isn't an easy one for law enforcement officials, said Limey
Nargelenas, deputy director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of
Police.

"We basically agree that an individual that is very sick and possibly
dying, going through some real serious chemotherapy or things like
that, the law enforcement community has compassion in those kinds of
situations," he said.

Nargelenas said the problem is that individuals who just want to get
high -- and who aren't seriously ill -- could abuse a medical
marijuana law like the one Haine envisions.

Further, characterizing marijuana as medicine "sends a real bad
message to the kids," he said.

"We just see so many kids today that when they do try marijuana, they
start experimenting with other drugs too," Nargelenas said. "We
believe (medical marijuana) should be very restricted, just like any
other kind of medication."

Haine and members of the law enforcement community have been working
together to try to write the proposed law in a way that's acceptable
to all. It's still unclear, however, if they can achieve that goal.

Q. This idea has come up before. What's different now?

A. For one thing, the senator who sponsored the legislation last year,
Democrat John Cullerton of Chicago, now is Senate president. As a
result, the bill might more easily pass in the Senate. It still would
have to pass in the House of Representatives and get signed by the
governor to become law.

Linn noted that Haine, the bill's Senate sponsor this year, is a
former state's attorney. With that background, Haine can address the
concerns that law enforcement officials have about the bill, Linn said.

Haine said the fact that he is an ex-prosecutor "should comfort those
who are concerned about this becoming a prescription to legalize
marijuana across the board" because he never would push for that.