LET DOCTORS BE DOCTORS, PRESCRIBE MEDICINE THAT'S NEEDED

On election day in 2008, voters in Michigan approved their medical
cannabis proposal, following 12 other states in allowing doctors to
recommend cannabis for serious medical conditions. Also, it should be
noted that in Michigan the initiative passed in every county. This
should come as no surprise since polling on this issue shows
consistent support for allowing sick people to use medical cannabis
pursuant to the recommendation of a physician. However, Illinois does
not have a ballot initiative process and we must get our medical
cannabis bill passed into law through the legislative process.

In Illinois, Senate Bill 1381, the Compassionate Use of Medical
Cannabis Pilot Program Act, introduced by a former prosecutor Sen.
William Haine, needs to be passed to protect Illinois patients from
arrest.

Ultimately, the decision of what medicine is best for an illness
should be left up to the patient and the doctor. SB 1381 was approved
by the Illinois Senate last spring and now awaits a vote in the
Illinois House of Representatives.

Lawmakers need to protect patients who use cannabis under the
recommendation of their doctor because these patients are not
criminals. The fact that Michigan is the only state in the Midwest
that allows for the compassionate use of cannabis is astonishing and
goes against the welcoming and kind Midwest values that so many of us
take pride in.

Dan Linn,

executive director, Illinois Cannabis Patients Association