IT'S TIME TO APPROVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

We've all seen the images and heard the testimony of ailing
Americans who gain relief from their chronic physical pain or
discomfort by smoking marijuana. These people have no other remedies
at their disposal to make their lives more tolerable.

Since the 2006 Supreme Court ruling against people who use
prescription pot, 12 states have rallied to pass bills protecting
them from prosecution.

Efforts to get such a bill through the Illinois General Assembly
have been bumpy. But with the shift in power in Springfield, there
is optimism that a bill introduced by Sen. John Cullerton,
D-Chicago, will be approved. We urge his colleagues to pass it when
it comes up for a vote. We also encourage the Indiana General
Assembly to follow its neighbor's lead.

Far from opening the door to decriminalizing marijuana, the bill
stipulates that the only people eligible to use it are those
afflicted with cancer, glaucoma, positive HIV status or Hepatitis C,
or who are "diagnosed by a physician as having a debilitating
medical condition" accompanied by severe symptoms. The individual
and one primary caregiver would be issued a registry identification
card by the Department of Public Health that would permit them to
possess a limited amount of cannabis in plant or usable form.

Would the system be abused? Most likely, yes. But tight controls
would keep it to a minimum. Any abuses of the system would be worth
tolerating if it meant cancer patients could alleviate their nausea
or vomiting, and if AIDS patients could regain their appetites.

Medical marijuana is just that: medicine. Denying it to those who
need it borders on cruelty.

This reflects the consensus of Sun-Times News Group newspapers in
metropolitan Chicago.