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Illinois Medical Marijuana Bill Advances

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #677)
Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy

"Nonprofit medical cannabis organizations" would provide marijuana to patients under the Illinois bill. (Image via Wikimedia)
A medical marijuana bill in Illinois passed its final House committee hurdle Monday and now heads for a House floor vote. The bill, House Bill 30, was approved by the House Healthcare Availability and Accessibility Committee.

The bill would allow people diagnosed by a physician with a debilitating medical condition and their caregivers to register with the Department of Public Health. Patients could possess up to 2 ½ ounces of marijuana every two weeks. They would obtain it from a "nonprofit medical cannabis organization" registered with the state.

The bill proposes only a pilot project. It calls for the legislation to expire after three years.

In the last session, a similar bill passed the state Senate, but died in a close vote in the House.

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Comments

ory patterson (not verified)

Hello. My name is Ory Patterson. I am a Eagle scout, so I am obligated to tell the truth because of my oath to god and my country. Marijuana should be made legal to Americans ASAP. I have stomach ulcers, ADD, problems sleeping and I have been using Marijuana  to help with this. I has work with out a doubt every time. There are no bad  side effects from Inhaling cannibals smoke. Stop the War on Marijuana!! If god could see how people are judging other people based on how they deal with their pain he would be so ashamed to call us his children.  Listen to my words. Its time for change.

Wed, 03/30/2011 - 4:13pm Permalink
Matt Mirmak (not verified)

In reply to by ory patterson (not verified)

Hi Ory

 

I'm an Eagle Scout too (1987) and was the Orange County volunteer coordinator for the Yes on Prop 19 campaign.  Rest assured, you are not the only Eagle Scout that supports legalization.  There are many supporters of cannabis legalization in our brotherhood and that's a damn good thing. 

Funny thing was when I was tabling for Prop 19 near a Trader Joe's,  I was next to a Scout troop peddling popcorn.  The cool thing was that both of the adult leaders said they supported Prop 19 and I swapped a couple of Yes on 19 t-shirts for some of their popcorn.  They nearly fell on the floor when I told them that I am an Eagle Scout. 

Sat, 01/28/2012 - 1:44am Permalink
Pamela (not verified)

I have arthritis in my spine. Bone spurs cause nerve pain. I was taking 80 Vicodin 750 every 10 days just to be able to walk and function. I felt this was going to cause liver toxicity and so quietly grew my own medicinal marijuana in my home.   I was RAIDED by the state drug task force, my 4 mother plants and 5 flowering clones somehow became 50 plants! I was forced to deed my home over to my daughters and leave first the state, and then the country. I have not seen my family since 2008. Marijuana is still the ONLY medication that is able to relieve the nerve pain that I suffer constantly.  I believe the only reason that I was able to get away is because there was a L.E.A.P. officer in charge, and I was given the small window of time.  In Illinois the largest employer is the department of corrections. Do I need to say more?

Sun, 04/03/2011 - 10:28pm Permalink
toborg214 (not verified)

I get chronicle headaches and live on morphine every day, and other problems because of them. I'm on disability so I can't afford to pay street prices for marijuana, and I really don't like breaking the law.  I don't want to go to jail, and who can you trust in back alleys. So I know that it helps with the pain, and if the people in goverment got pain like I do they would have passed Medical Marijuana along time ago.  So lets get this bill passed so I and others like me can get some help and maybe some life back.

Mon, 04/04/2011 - 12:30am Permalink
Chancek (not verified)

I know that people are gonna abuse this act and try to get free weed as much as they can but I do beleive that with the passing of this bill it will alow us to be one step closer to legailizing. It should also bring up the question why did we make it illigal in the first place all it did was make our crime rate go up and cause a underground blackmarket and drug trafficing. If the goverment would allow weed to be legal then we could tax it and make a profit off of it wich would benifit the economy and Illinois as a whole with its steady declining profit margins and increasing unemployment rate.

Wed, 04/20/2011 - 10:56am Permalink

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