RX POT HAS FRIENDS, FOES IN GUBERNATORIAL RACE

Medical Marijuana Finds Foes, Friends In Both Political Camps

Those hoping to be the next occupant of the governor's mansion in
Springfield come down on both sides of the issue of medical marijuana,
from both sides of the aisle.

Although pot use remains illegal in most places, it has been found to
ease pain and nausea in people suffering from a variety of ills —
cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, Crohn's disease and other
debilitating conditions — sparing them from some of the side effects
of conventional treatments.

Approved by the Illinois Senate last fall, SB1381 would establish a
three-year pilot program through which people diagnosed with such
conditions could register with the Department of Public Health and
legally possess up to two ounces of marijuana at a time, to use for
medicinal purposes. The state House has yet to vote on the bill.

One of the 12 sponsors was state Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, whose
district includes a portion of Naperville.

"When you start talking about diseases such as (multiple sclerosis)
and cancer, there are a lot of benefits to be achieved," she said.

Diagnosed with MS 20 years ago, Holmes said she considers herself
fortunate to have "relatively few problems" with it. She doesn't need
the relief marijuana can bring to sufferers, she said, but her
frequent contact with the Greater Chicagoland MS Society and others
who have MS have convinced her that it has valuable applications in
bringing relief from pain and spasticity.

"A lot of these people can't do normal things, like walking their
children to school or going to their jobs without pain," said Holmes,
who related that she opposed an earlier version of the bill that
brought too much potential for allowing abuse. "I think we need to be
able to help them."

Cancer patients, she added, commonly lose their appetite; marijuana
can also trigger hunger and keep lack of nourishment from causing
their condition to worsen further.

Addressing the issue of enforcement, Holmes said many prescription
medicines are widely abused now, and she would be interested in
learning what police say about charging those who violate
controlled-substance laws.

Among the local Republican governor hopefuls, DuPage County Board
Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, a Naperville resident, and state Sen. Kirk
Dillard, R-Hinsdale, oppose the bill.

Schillerstrom said his understanding is that in the places where
medical marijuana is allowed, things have gotten out of hand. Any
potential benefits from the medicinal properties of the drug are
outweighed by problems with regulation and abuse, he said.

"At the end of the day, I think what it really does is it leads to the
legalization of marijuana, and I'm against that," Schillerstrom said.

Dillard said he and the other state legislators have been urged by
police organizations to reject the measure.

"Law enforcement officials — including the California state police,
where this law has been implemented — tell me that enforcement is a
nightmare, and police officers believe that it is unwise to allow
individuals to grow marijuana for medical purposes," said Dillard, who
also has heard the Illinois Medical Society's position on the issue.
"As long as law enforcement officials tell me this is a bad idea, and
the medical society doesn't counter with why there would be benefits
to this, I oppose the bill."

He said he went into the issue undecided, but took his position in
part because the police community is "overburdened already,"
especially with newly enacted laws such as the ban on text-messaging
behind the wheel.

State Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington is also an opponent, echoing
Schillerstrom's stance.

"Legalizing medical marijuana appears to me to be nothing more than
moving us down the slope of legalizing marijuana," he said.

Former state Attorney General Jim Ryan is among the Republicans who
say they could back well-regulated medical marijuana.

"It can provide needed relief for patients with various afflictions,"
said Ryan, who is a cancer survivor.

Other GOP candidates open to some form of legalized medical marijuana
are Hinsdale businessman Adam Andrzejewski and public relations
consultant Dan Proft.

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn said he would consider signing a medical
marijuana bill.

"In general, I believe that people who are seriously ill deserve
access to all medical treatments that will help them," he said.

Quinn's primary opponent, Comptroller Dan Hynes, has said he opposes
the outright legalization of marijuana. According to a spokesman,
Hynes also is against allowing its use for medical purposes.

Thirteen states — Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine,
Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island
and Washington — have decriminalized marijuana use for treating
certain illnesses. Illinois has, too. The law has been on the books
here since 1978, but the Illinois Department of Public Health has yet
to implement the rules necessary to permit actual use of medical marijuana.

Some Illinois legislators think the time has come for a new law. A
dozen members of the General Assembly — including 11 Democrats and
Springfield Republican Rep. Angelo Saviano — co-sponsored the proposed
legislation with Holmes.

Click on SB1381 to learn more about legislation.