MAKE MEDICAL MARIJUANA LEGAL, BUT BE CAUTIOUS

DEBATE OVER whether Illinois should join the 14 states that allow the
use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has become a fairly regular
feature of Illinois General Assembly legislative sessions in recent years.

This year was no exception. Senate Bill 1381, which would establish a
medical marijuana system in Illinois and passed the Senate a year
ago, languished in the House, where it remains in the Rules
Committee. Its sponsors feared it might not pass if called for a
vote, in no small part because some members were reluctant to endorse
a potentially controversial bill in an election year.

"What I have to overcome is the basic political calculation that many
of my colleagues take," said Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie and a House
sponsor. "Ultimately, this is a health-care bill. It's not a bill
about drugs. I'm here for people's health care and pain. We should do
this controlled piece of legislation ... to help people."

WE AGREE with Lang. It's time for Illinois to acknowledge what some
other states and many sufferers of chronic diseases already have
recognized. First, that marijuana -- for reasons science has not yet
been able to pinpoint -- often is effective in easing symptoms where
established pharmaceuticals are not. And second, that a carefully
designed and closely monitored system for prescribing and dispensing
marijuana will prevent the program from becoming a virtual legalizing
of recreational marijuana.

That, of course, is what has happened in California. The state
legalized medical marijuana in 1996, but the lax system to administer
it left it open for easy abuse. The California example has hindered
advocates' efforts to enact worthy programs in other states, which is
unfortunate.

SB 1381 has specific rules for diseases and conditions that would
merit marijuana use and would require a physician's statement for
patients who want to receive medical marijuana. The state would issue
cards to qualified patients. The bill calls for a three-year pilot
program, thus ensuring a review after a reasonable trial period.

THERE'S ANOTHER, broader reason we believe lawmakers should pass this
bill. Despite overwhelming anecdotal evidence from chronic disease
sufferers of its effectiveness in easing nausea and pain, marijuana
still suffers from its classification as an illegal drug by the
federal government. That classification has thwarted research that
might help scientists better understand why marijuana works for some symptoms.

As more states recognize the medicinal value of marijuana, we would
hope the federal government would alter its designation and encourage
more research. Opponents of medical marijuana are correct on two
points: smoking is an unhealthy means of delivering any medicine, and
the questions of dosage and potency in smoking marijuana run counter
to the most basic pharmaceutical rules. Step up research and maybe
more precise and acceptable methods will be found.

FOR NOW, though, we believe the humane approach is to provide access
to relief to those who may benefit from it. Many chronic sufferers
already are obtaining marijuana on the black market.

Lang says he may try to get his bill through the House after the
November election and before a new General Assembly is seated in
January. That would remove the election fear factor and give
lawmakers a chance to vote sensibly on a sensible bill that could
bring relief to many Illinoisans.