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Illinois House Approves Medical Marijuana Legislation

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Apr 17, 2013 10:15PM

The Illinois House approved legislation legalizing medical marijuana on Wednesday, sending a bill to the Senate that stands a decent chance of passing. HB 30 would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients with one of 30 approved conditions.

The bill's sponsor state Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) has been pushing for medical marijuana legislation for years, and this is a big victory for him. He said in November that he thought he had the votes necessary to pass, and we didn't believe him because he has always fallen a few votes short.

The vote was close — 61-57 — but that's enough. A similar measure passed the state Senate in 2009, and the Senate passed a measure legalizing medical marijuana in 2011. The House has typically been the barrier. Senate Pres. John Cullerton (D-Chicago) said he supports Lang's legislation. A February poll showed a majority of Illinoisans support the legalization of medical marijuana.

Lang says this bill would be the strictest medical marijuana bill in the U.S. The AP writes:

The legislative proposal prohibits patients from growing their own marijuana. Instead, the state must approve 22 cultivation centers, as well as 60 dispensaries where patients could buy the drug after getting a prescription from a doctor with whom they have an existing relationship. The legislation sets a 2.5 ounce limit per patient per purchase.