THERAPEUTIC POT

The Illinois legislature is close to legalizing medical marijuana.
Before you scream in protest, or launch into a Cheech and Chong joke,
give this some consideration. Illinois could pass a model law for the
rest of the country.

The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis act, sponsored by Rep. Lou
Lang (D-Skokie), could pass the House this week, thanks in large part
to a change in position by House Republican leader Tom Cross
(R-Oswego). The timing may finally be right.

The Senate approved a medical marijuana bill in 2009, but the House
narrowly rejected it last January. A revised bill has gained the
support of Cross, a former Kendall County prosecutor. He says he's
comfortable with the strict guidelines written into this version.

Lang's collaboration with House Republicans has produced a careful
piece of legislation. Cannabis could be used in place of painkillers
that have harsh side effects and can be addictive. Prescriptions
would have to be renewed every two weeks and would be limited to 2.5
ounces, which would limit any efforts to resell for recreational use.
A patient would be prohibited from driving for 12 hours after
consuming marijuana. Patients could buy only from a state-licensed
dispensary for serious, specific medical conditions. They could not
legally grow marijuana. The law would sunset in three years, so the
legislature would have to evaluate the whole thing at that time.

In short: the law would likely avoid what has happened in some
states, where "medical marijuana" is available to practically anyone
just looking to get high.

The therapeutic benefits of marijuana are still hotly debated, but
the idea of whether to permit medical use apparently is pretty well
settled for most citizens of Illinois. A Mason-Dixon poll in 2008
found 68 percent supported allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to
people who are seriously ill. The support was consistent across the
state - 70 percent in the Chicago area, 65 percent Downstate.

Some people who aren't ill probably will take advantage of the law,
though there are penalties for that. More likely, seriously ill
people who now resort to buying marijuana illegally to alleviate
their suffering will obey the law. Better to make sure cannabis is
regulated and the sale to patients is aboveboard.

Cross met with some of those patients, including a disabled veteran,
and says those face-to-face meetings helped to change his mind. This
is a reasonable, restrictive bill, and it should pass the House and Senate.