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PUBLISHED: 03-16-09
Illinois congress debates legalizing medicinal cannabis
Julie Falco has lived with multiple sclerosis for 30 years. She has suffered severe pain, depression and at one point even contemplated suicide. Her doctors prescribed an assortment of medication, but none of them helped ease her struggle and function normally until she started using medical cannabis.
“[Medical cannabis] helped bring all that pain down to a manageable level so I can get through a day and live a better life,” Falco said.
Medical cannabis is an herbal drug from the Cannabis plant. The drug is also known as marijuana, and it’s illegal.
Falco, 43, is one of many severely ill who use the illegal drug for medicinal reasons.
On March 4, the Illinois medical cannabis bill, HB 2514, passed the Human Services Committee with a 4-to-3 vote. This is the first time ever a medical cannabis bill has passed in a house committee. It is now on the house floor for debate.
“I look at this not as a bill about marijuana or drug use, I look at this as a bill about health care,” said Rep. Lou Lang (16th – Skokie), the bill’s chief sponsor.
The Illinois bill is strictly limited to help the severely ill with diseases such as cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and others.
Lang received 231 phone calls, faxes and e-mails in support of the bill and one message of opposition three days after the committee passed the bill, he said.
Medical cannabis bills have been gaining longer life spans in the Illinois legislature lately. In 2007, a medical cannabis bill was on the senate floor for debate, but voted down, 22-29.
Four senators did not vote, and another four voted present. If those eight votes would have been in favor of the bill, it would have passed 30-29. The bill’s sponsor was Sen. John Cullerton (6th-Chicago), he is now the senate president.
Currently, a senate medical cannabis companion bill, SB 1381, is in the senate subcommittee of special issues for debate.
“[The bill] allows people to access marijuana without going to the dark side and getting it,” said Sen. Bill Haine, the senate bill’s chief sponsor. “It’s a legal way to get it that avoids going to some corrupt dope dealer to buy, which many people are doing now to alleviate their pain.”
Falco began using medical cannabis in February 2004. Due to multiple sclerosis, Falco’s immune system is overactive and attacks itself.
“The pharmaceuticals that were recommended I take for my symptoms weren’t helping and were creating other side effects,” she said. “I soon got to a point where I didn’t know what the MS symptoms were and what the side effects were.”
Medical cannabis helps regulate her immune system. After using cannabis she immediately noticed pain relief, “The difference was night and day,” she said.
Her method of medical cannabis intake is baking it into brownies and cookies. Unlike other severely ill patients, she has a safe and reliable source for cannabis.
According to the bill, a patient can have an “adequate supply” of seven plants and two ounces of dried, usable cannabis. This is subject to change if passed because the Illinois Department of Public Health will determine an adequate supply.
Unlike any other medical cannabis law, the Illinois bill puts a three-year sunset on the law, which means the law becomes void after three years and has to be voted on again to be reinstated.
“This will be the tightest regulation in the nation,” Haine said.
The toughest opposition the bill is facing is from law enforcement, said Dan Bernath, spokesperson for the Marijuana Policy Project, a pro-medical cannabis lobbyist group.
“Law enforcement has concerns that this medical use doesn’t become an avenue for a stealth legalization,” Sen. Haine said.
Haine was a 14-year Madison county state’s attorney; he has profound respect for law enforcement and has worked with them to include their perspectives on the bill. The bill has already been amended several times he said.
“The only problem we have in Illinois with the law we presently have is where do we obtain the marijuana for those individuals that want to go through this experiment,” said Laimutis Nargelenas, Deputy Director of the Illinois Association of Police Chiefs.
Illinois passed a medical marijuana law in 1978 to be administered by the Department of Alcohol and Substance Abuse that then became the Department of Human Services, but implementation never went into effect, said Melaney Arnold, spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The Department of Public Health’s biggest concern with the medical cannabis bill is for fiscal reasons.
“The legislation does not account for a startup cost,” Arnold said.
The money for the program will come from fees for the participating patients and it can be raised to, “zero out the cost,” Sen. Haine said. “We’re talking about 2,000 people statewide.”
The other concern the department has is that if the bill is passed it will have an estimated five months to create rules and guidelines for administering medical cannabis, Arnold said. This process is estimated to take between nine and 12 months, she said.
Lawmakers remain hopeful the bill will gain support and the problems with the legislation can be resolved.
“The idea that someone could use marijuana in a carefully controlled way, in an appropriate way, under doctor supervision to get relief from the symptoms they have would be a godsend,” Rep. Lang said.
3 Responses to “Illinois congress debates legalizing medicinal cannabis”
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I also have used marijuana brownies for my medical issues. I have had 6 back surgeries and I am 51 years old and have lived on the highest form of vicodin(NORCO) and valium for muscles for about 8 years now. I do not sleep and I fall a lot. I have every limitation known to man. I feel very depressed most of the time. I was a retail manager most my life and I really miss working. I feel quite useless honestly. I try very hard to cut my meds back, recently had Mri because of 12 falls this winter. My trial of brownies was great. I had no use for my meds for most of the time I used them I say vote yes to these bills!!!!!!!!! It is about caring and compassion for those that eventually will pay for side effects of pharmaceutical drugs that have done more damage and problems!!!!! they do not need with what they already have!!!!! write me I will listen!
I read an article that said allot of restaurants are cooking with pot, does that mean its legal? I live in wisconsin. I dont know of any restaurants like that around here. I have cooked with pot on occasion, i also smoke it. it helps with my nausea and emotional disorder. Will i quit no, but i would feel better about it if it was legal. How cloes exactlty in wisconsin to legalize it. What exactly was it the the activists did in the states where it is legal now to get them to go along with it, thats what we need to do. My parents are chirstian people who used to do it all back in the sistys, but what the issue now is, is that they dont want to break the law otherwise i think they would use weed too. My parents are getting older and their helth is declining, particularly my father who had a stroke 6 years back he hasnt been the same ever since. It has linked to other health problems, and i just want to see him feel better. I know that a hit or two a day of weed would make him feel better, but hes too good of a person to break the law. And me, i wish i was like that but im not, i use but i dont hurt anyone, im going to college this fall to be a supervisor at a nursing home so i can help people[ no not with drugs} whose health are declining, in the last home they will have. Now do we sound like people who should be put away i dont think so. Its just a coincidence that some criminals use {weed}. Just like some criminals will be, short, some will be tall. Allot of people smoke, its just that criminals are the ones who get caught with it.There is no correlation between bad people and using weed. I feel strongly about this. I know that legalization in wisconsin would do alot of people alot of good, and save the goverment allot of money.I want to make us at least a step closer to legalization but, i dont know where on earth to start.
i started to take meds back in 2005 and now it is 2010 present time i had wrist surgery,right side back surgery,stomack surgery,neck surgery,and now i need another surgery for my back left side,i also have a buldging disc in my thoracic spine and i might need a surgery for that to, my meds are norco,xanax,3 types off antidepressant pills,high blood pressure pills,2 types ofdiabetic pills,3 types of cholesterol pills,vitamin pills,i get panic attacks,deep depression,anxiety,pain in my neck,arms shoulders,wrist,chest,legs,feet,thighs,buttocks,and severe pain onall my back, cant sit,stand,lay,walk,bend,twist, turn and i have hepatitis because of the pain meds, i have not worked for 2.5 years and i am only 30 years old with a wife and 4 kids, so if you ask me if i want to take medical marijuana i am all for it. If any body knows about pain i am living proof i have a cane, and i use a walker. If u gave med marijuana i would take it in a flash. If my story is helpful to anybody drop me a line