LET DOCTORS AND PATIENTS DECIDE ABOUT MEDICAL CANNABIS

Illinois medical cannabis patients are still considered criminals
under Illinois law, although hopefully, this legislative session
lawmakers in Springfield can find enough courage to grant doctors the
legal right to recommend the medicine. New Jersey recently passed
their medical cannabis bill, and their governor signed it into law
shortly after, plus Washington, D.C.'s medical cannabis initiative
that passed in 1998 finally will be going into effect this year.
Illinois could be the 15th state to legally distinguish between
medical use of cannabis and non-medical use if New York, Minnesota,
Iowa, Missouri or Wisconsin doesn't beat us to it.

Medical cannabis is an odd issue for a couple of reasons. One is
because lawmakers that favor limited government sometimes are against
it because the FDA does not regulate cannabis. Medical cannabis should
be reclassified on the federal level, the American Medical Association
called for a review of its scheduling late last year, and the feds
have essentially made it a states' right issue. Plus, there are many
vitamins and herbs that are not regulated by the FDA, such as St.
John's-wort, ginseng, etc. The fact that medical cannabis does not
have the potential for an overdose fatality should be enough for it to
be allowed, but many lawmakers fear the notorious "soft on crime" label.

Another oddity is that the law enforcement community has an unusually
large voice in a health care issue. I suppose the law enforcement
community is somehow fearful of the anarchic state that could be the
result of letting chemotherapy patients and other sick people use
medical cannabis. Police have no business deciding what medicine is
best for a patient; that should be the right of the doctor and patient
to decide.

All in all, Illinois needs to pass Senate Bill 1381 because patients
are not criminals.

Dan Linn

Executive Director

Illinois Cannabis Patients Association

dan@illinoiscannabispatients.org

Sycamore, Ill.