LEGALIZING MEDICINAL MARIJUANA IN ILLINOIS

One of the issues at the forefront of Illinois state legislature is
legalizing medicinal marijuana, with medicinal marijuana proponents
pushing to allow physicians to administer cannabis to patients with
debilitating diseases.

Dan Linn, executive director of the Illinois Cannabis Patients
Association, is just one of the proponents for legalizing medicinal
marijuana. He, along with others involved with the ICPA, "support
changing Illinois law to eliminate penalties for the physician
recommended use of cannabis," according to the ICPA website.

By supporting the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program Act
(currently pending under Senate Bill 1381 and House Bill 2514), Linn
and other supporters hope to "lobby for cannabis used medicinally for
patients or potential patients," according to Linn.

This act states that people with "debilitating medical condition[s]"
and their "primary caregivers may be issued a registry identification
card," allowing them to "legally possess no more than seven dried
cannabis plants and two ounces of dried usable cannabis," according
to the Illinois General Assembly's website.

Susan Cushman, the alcohol and other drug prevention coordinator at
the Loyola Wellness Center, said using marijuana can be detrimental
to students.

"Students cannot stay on track or move forward with schoolwork,"
Cushman said. "They feel isolated and separated from the people
around them."

Cushman said she "[couldn't] say for sure" if marijuana leads to
using other drugs.

"I think some people like to say that it's a gateway drug, but I see
no evidence of that," Cushman said. "It [doesn't] appear to be a
precursor to other drugs, [except] alcohol and cigarettes."

Marcus Delgado, a senior from California, agreed and said he doesn't
see marijuana as a gateway drug.

"If you're going to get into hard drugs, I think you would do so
regardless," Delgado said.

Delgado, a proponent of legalizing marijuana for medical use, said
that legalizing marijuana would have fiscal benefits.

"In California, marijuana would get $1.4 billion from taxes [for the
state]," he said.

A study released by the California State Board of Equalization in
July 2009 confirmed the tax numbers.

But the ICPA and other proponents of legalizing medicinal marijuana
in Illinois do not seem to be using the Illinois economy as an
argument as much as using medical reasons.

"Medical cannabis can provide the compassionate relief that other
pharmaceutical drugs cannot," Linn said. "The heart of the issue is
that these sick folks [using cannabis medically] shouldn't be
considered criminals."