IT'S TIME TO PASS MEDICAL POT LAW IN ILLINOIS HOUSE

Two years ago, if you had asked whether legalizing medical marijuana
should be a high priority for religious people, I would have smiled
politely and said "no."

Things change. Last Saturday, I participated in a press conference on
behalf of Protestants for the Common Good to support the passage of
the "Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act," Senate
Bill 1381. This bill was approved in the Illinois Senate last spring
and is pending in the House.

Why is this bill so important? The first reason is simple. Passing
this legislation would be an act of compassion and mercy. Victims of
cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and other serious health problems
have given compelling testimony that cannabis (the technical term for
marijuana) provides relief from pain and suffering. This relief often
can come in no other way.

The number of people who use marijuana for this purpose is small, but
if you are one of them, or have a family member who is, the issue of
legalization suddenly becomes urgent.

The second reason this bill matters is that passing it would send the
message that it's OK to speak honestly and intelligently about drug
policy in Illinois. That is very difficult right now.

State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) says he has approached all 118 members
of the Illinois House. He reports that 92 say privately to him, "This
is a good bill. I hope you can pass it."

But of this group, only 52 are prepared to vote "yes." They fear "spin
politics" that will label them as "soft on drugs."

They're afraid to do what they know is right.

In reality, the arguments against this bill don't hold up. The biggest
fear is that legalizing medical marijuana use will encourage
recreational marijuana use, especially among the young. But similar
bills have been passed in 14 other states, and in the 11 states where
follow-up analysis has been done, the evidence suggests no such effect.

Others claim the bill is unnecessary because Marinol, a pill that
contains marijuana, already has Federal Drug Administration approval.
But this drug has only one of the 85 ingredients contained in
cannabis; consequently, it does not provide relief for everyone.
Besides, taking a pill is hardly helpful when one is nauseated and
vomiting.

To be sure, there are some horror stories out of California, where a
medical marijuana bill was passed without adequate safeguards and
seems to have led to some recreational use.

But the legislation being considered in Illinois includes extensive
regulations concerning access, quantity and physician oversight. It's
also a pilot project requiring legislative approval to continue after
three years -- providing ample time to assess whether the sky has fallen.

As for the political downsides? My guess is that lawmakers' fears of a
voter backlash for doing the right thing are greatly exaggerated. A
recent Pew Research Center poll shows that a whopping 73 percent of
Americans support the use of marijuana as medicine.

Still, Lang deserves plaudits for leading this effort, as does Bill
Haine (D-Alton) in the Senate. Their bill is one of compassion and,
indeed, sanity -- two qualities that are all too often absent from the
political process in Springfield.

Dr. Quentin Young, Illinois' public health advocate, said at
Saturday's press conference that he will urge Gov. Quinn to sign the
bill when it appears on his desk. It is time for the Illinois General
Assembly to put it there.