MED MARIJUANA BILL GETS SUPPORT FROM SOME IN GOP

In the race for governor, Republicans and Democrats alike are divided
over whether Illinois should legalize marijuana use for medical purposes.

Candidates from both parties say they would consider allowing medical
marijuana, an idea that has been approved by the state Senate. But
others responding to an Associated Press questionnaire maintain it
would start the state on a slide toward pot legalization.

Smoking or eating the illegal drug can ease pain and nausea in people
suffering from a variety of ills without the sometimes harsh side
effects of existing medicine.

Jim Ryan, the former state attorney general and a cancer survivor,
said he could support a "narrowly drawn" bill legalizing medical marijuana.

"It can provide needed relief for patients with various afflictions,"
said Ryan, a Republican.

Rival Republican Bill Brady took the opposite view.

"Legalizing medical marijuana appears to me to be nothing more than
moving us down the slope of legalizing marijuana," said Brady, a state
senator from Bloomington.

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.

His primary opponent, Comptroller Dan Hynes, said he opposes outright
legalization but did not address medical use of the drug. A spokesman
later clarified that Hynes opposes legalizing it for medical purposes.

At least a dozen states allow medical marijuana. Strangely, Illinois
is one of them - in theory. It was legalized here in 1978, but the
Public Health Department never implemented the rules necessary to
permit actual use of medical marijuana.

Some Illinois legislators want a new law on the subject.

The state Senate narrowly approved legislation earlier this year to
set up a public-health registry of people using doctor-approved
marijuana to relieve the pain of, for example, Crohn's disease, or the
upset stomach caused by chemotherapy. Patients could possess seven
plants or two ounces of the dried drug.

The House didn't vote on the bill, which would have required a
doctor's supervision.

Among Republicans, the candidates open to some form of legalized
medical marijuana are: businessman Adam Andrzejewski, public relations
consultant Dan Proft and Ryan.

The opponents are: Brady, Sen. Kirk Dillard, businessman Andy McKenna
and Bob Schillerstrom, chairman of the DuPage County Board.

They offered several reasons for their opposition, from concerns about
state government getting involved in determining effective medical
treatment to the difficulties of enforcing such a law.

Green Party candidate Rich Whitney, a Carbondale lawyer, backs full
legalization of marijuana, not just for medical uses.

The bill is SB1381.