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Lit_Match

Medical Cannabis May Be Legalized in Illinois
3-17-08|Daily Vidette|By Kate Stickelmaier

In a decision on March 5, the Senate Public Health Committee voted 6-4 in favor of allowing the medical use of marijuana to become legal for those with debilitating diseases.

If the law is passed, those with illnesses such as glaucoma, cancer and AIDS could potentially benefit by relieving some of their symptoms through use of the plant.

However, similar legislation was approved by the committee last year and voted down by the Senate in its third reading.

"The one [bill] that I am the most confident in passing is Senate Bill 2865, which would allow patients in Illinois with their doctor's recommendation [to] medicate with cannabis," Dan Linn, executive director of the Illinois chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML), said.

According to Linn, Senate Bill 2865 would allow for patients to grow up to eight plants and possess two and a half ounces of cannabis at a time and would also allow for caregivers to do so for the patients.

"…The bill does allow a 'medical marijuana organization' to be the primary caregiver for a patient and that organization would be able to provide medicine for as many patients as are registered for that 'medical marijuana organization' as their caregiver," Linn said.

Such an organization would be required to pay a fee and register with the Department of Public Health, according to Linn.

"The wasting syndrome associated with HIV/AIDS can be alleviated by using cannabis and the effects of chemotherapy can also be reduced," Linn explained. "The stereotypical 'munchies' are vital for those who cannot stomach the food needed to survive."

The current legislation would carry harsher penalties than simple marijuana possession for those who abuse the medical cannabis program.

"The new bill clearly defines the guidelines for the Department of Public Health to implement a medical cannabis program," Linn said.

Contrary to published reports, a branch of the State Police Department never implemented the law when it was originally passed 30 years ago, according to Kimberly Parker, a Public Health Department spokesperson, said.

"Our agency was never [involved] in the statute," Parker said when referring to the 1978 Cannabis Control Act.

The current bill will be sent to the Illinois Senate floor on April 1.

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Donation links to NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) | MPP (Marijuana Policy Project)

 

Buzzby

This is the part of these laws I don't understand. It's quite reasonable to expect to get a couple of ounces of finished weed off of a well-cared-for plant. You grow the legal limit of eight plants and get sixteen ounces of bud. But you're only allowed to have two and a half ounces. Are you supposed to just flush the other fourteen and a half ounces down the toilet? If you're only allowed to have two and a half ounces of weed, why do they allow you to grow eight plants?

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BillieBudd

It would be a temptation to deal, and thereby tainting the, in my opinion, noble effort to relieve suffering by use of MedWeed.

Victor_vicious

If your assumption is correct and you can get a couple of oz of 1 plant, then you wouldn't be harvesting all 8 plants, you would have to have them in a rotation. Two ready to harvest this week, two more two weeks from then etc. It takes a minimum of 8 weeks for a flowering plant to reach full maturity, the one's I have right now take 12 weeks maybe a little longer to mature. If you are starting with seeds it would take about four weeks in the Vegging stage, to be ready to flower. And then you would want to dry and cure it. I operate under the assumption, five months from seed to weed. And in order to assure, our bill says 2 1/2 oz. for each of the five patients our bill allows, I would have to have 60 plants total at various stages of development.
If you end up harvesting more than the allowed amount you can pass it on to a cooperative that helps patients that have not found a caregiver, or found one that wasn't able to produce the needed amount.
THe laws in the states that have Medical Marijuan are all over the sandlot on this, Washington State is trying to research this issue and come up with a 'suggested amount' a patient would need based on the type of illness they are using it for.
I have been having conversations about this with a Medical Marijuana Patient from Oregon. He has been growing his own for a little over four years now. Brian is in a wheelchair. has infections now in his extremities, and they are going to be deciding which limb to take off to get rid of the most infection. I asked him about producing more if I could find folks that would defer his expenses. He would never do that, if he got caught and lost his card he would not survive.
Pictures of his grow area make mine look like a junk pile, I believe growing his own is what is keeping him alive and have asked him to write his story. Just reading his pm's to me would make you cry. I know it did me. VV

MagnusCannabis

Dont get me wrong, I love the idea of medical marijuana. I have witnessed first hand the usefulness of marijuana as a herbal treatment to a whole manner of minor medical malodies. Beyond just its physical properties, the cheap and organic way in which to "refill the users prescription" is absolutely wonderful. Yet, I fear that turning marijuana into a "cancer drug" or even something as common as an Aspirin type product could have dramatically negative consequences. As a thought experiment, imagine commercial sanctions on marijuana that would control the drug through channels similar to, lets just say, the HIV cocktail. This is seemingly innocent at first glance, ie; provisions for control, quality assurence etc. However, now consider the cost of the HIV cocktail and why, consider the complications introduced by insurance companies and their internal policies, consider simply the commercial value of this new "drug." Believe me ladies and gentlemen, if marijuana is legalized as a legitimate "medicine," than shortly there after there will most assuredly be sanctions to restrict or deny growing. Think of Monsanto, the agricultural giant. Why make corn that produces its own seeds when you can genetically engineer crops to be useful only for one harvest and therefore forcing the customer to constantly purchase only from Monsanto. It is simply a matter of fact that corporations or possibly the government itself will make every attempt to control and channel marijuana sales and growth in order to create profit. Ah yes, the almighty, Profit.
Why is marijuana illegal?
Reagan? correct, to a certain degree
Conservatism? eh, sort of
Republicans? actually, in history, no
Cash Money Money? ding ding ding
Marijuana is a cheap, easliy repoduced remedy to a whole manner of minor and major symptoms that normally are treated by rather cheap to expensive drugs that are manufactured by huge corporations. Ok, I do not want to fall into this, "left-wing, conspiracy nut, faceless corporation hating, half-witted liberal" category of commentors but consider Foucault. His writings are far too detailed to go into in any meaningful way here, but in general he states that power is exerted through social interactions and seemingly unrelated policies that operate in the lowest level of society. This is extremely simplified but to make it painfully simple, Marijuana is a threat to several institutions on many levels and this is not the ranting of some simplistic nut job. This is fact...

Uh, this is way too oversimplified, maybe I will start a thread....

 

MagnusCannabis

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