Skokie Rep. Lang Believes He Has Votes For Medical Marijuana Bill Passage This Time

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 27, 2012 4:40PM

State Rep. Lou Lang (D - Skokie) has played Don Quixote to the windmill that is legal medical marijuana in Illinois for years, as this video below from November 2010 shows.

Lang's efforts to decriminalize cannabis in Illinois have long fallen a handful of votes short of passage, despite his claims that he has the support, so forgive us if we don't start prematurely celebrating when Lang says he once again is thisclose to having the votes necessary for passage. Lang told the Tribune his "nose count" has him near the 60 votes needed to make his bill law. And he could be helped by the number of outgoing legislators now that the election is over. Thirty-six members of the General Assembly are lame ducks and Lang believes they may vote in favor of his bill since they're already on the way out, anyway.

It's nice that Lang feels passionately enough about medical marijuana to continue his Sisyphean efforts to legalize it for medical use. But the State Legislature has more pressing matters at hand to tackle when they convene for their winter session today. Pension reform tops that list. They'll also consider whether to try to override Gov. Pat Quinn's veto of the casino expansion bill. Neither may be likely to happen and may wait until the veto-prof Democratic majorities are seated in Springfield in January. Maybe Lang sees this lame duck session as his best chance to pass the medical marijuana bill, as well.