Illinois needs law on medical marijuana

Letter to the Editor

Voters in Michigan approved their medical cannabis proposal, following 12 other states in allowing doctors to recommend cannabis for serious medical conditions.

This should come as no surprise since polling on this issue shows consistent support for allowing sick people to use medical marijuana pursuant to the recommendation of a physician. In Illinois a lot of progress was made during the 2008 legislative session with the Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Pilot Program bill. SB 2865 picked up three new co-sponsors this year, and the bill's lead sponsor, Sen. John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, sat down with law enforcement to listen to their concerns and then amended the bill to address those concerns.

SB2865 passed the Senate Public Health Committee with a 6-4 vote and is now awaiting a vote on the Senate floor, which must take place by January 13, 2009, per legislative rule.

Doctors can legally prescribe many otherwise illegal substances, such as OxyContin and morphine. The same should be true for cannabis, especially since there has not been one documented overdose fatality from cannabis, which is not true for many substances found in most homes' medicine cabinets.

Ultimately, the decision of what medicine is best for an illness should be left up to the patient and the doctor, not prosecutors and police.

Dan Linn

Chicago