MEDICAL MARIJUANA

On Election Day, Michigan voters made their state the 13th to
allow seriously ill patients to use medical cannabis upon the recommendation
of a physician. Now, 71 million people, about 24 percent of Americans,
live in one of the 13 states that allow the doctor-advised, medical
use of cannabis.

However, suffering patients in Illinois still face arrest for
relieving their symptoms with an effective treatment option. Illinois
should follow suit and pass SB 2865, the Compassionate Use of Medical
Marijuana Pilot Program Act before the Jan. 13 legislative deadline.

Such a measure enjoys widespread support in Illinois. A 2008 poll
conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research shows that Illinois
residents favor allowing seriously and terminally ill patients to use
marijuana for medical purposes by a 68 percent to 27 percent margin.

There are already patients in Illinois using cannabis to treat a
serious disease or debilitating condition and they should not have to
turn to the criminal market for relief. Most people do not want to
send a cancer patient to jail for utilizing a treatment that his or
her doctor has recommended.

Illinois should not delay in passing this legislation because for some
it is truly a matter of life or death. Moreover, cannabis is a safe,
natural medicine and doctors in Illinois should be able to recommend
that patients use it if the situation dictates.

Dan Linn

Chicago