Medical Marijuana Bill Advances

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Mar 26, 2009 5:20PM

Senate Bill 1381, also known as The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act, is one step closer to reality after the Illinois Senate's Public Health Committee voted 6-2 to advance the bill yesterday. Dan Bernath, assistant director of communications for the lobbying group the Marijuana Policy Project, told the Chi-Town Daily News, “There is a mountain of scientific evidence that it is a very safe and effective medication for some types of disease for some types of patients. For many people, not all, this is the best medicine that best treats their symptoms and their conditions. It’s bizarre to think that the government or law enforcement should be involved in that position."

According to the state of Illinois General Assembly website's summary of the act:

Provides that when a person has been diagnosed by a physician as having a debilitating medical condition, the person and the person's primary caregiver may be issued a registry identification card by the Department of Public Health that permits the person or the person's primary caregiver to legally possess no more than 7 dried cannabis plants and 2 ounces of dried usable cannabis.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. William Haine (D-Alton), and co-sponsored by Sen. Iris Martinez (D-Chicago) and Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg (D-Evanston), should be presented to the full state senate by the end of the week. [Chi-Town Daily News]