By "Radical" Russ Belville on November 30, 2010
(The State Column) The Illinois state House has defeated a measure aimed at bringing medical marijuana to the state.
The Illinois medical marijuana bill got 53 votes, but needed 60 to pass. Another 59 lawmakers voted against it, and one voted present.
Critics of the medical marijuana bill said the current bill did not go far enough in restricting access to the drug. Supporters said the measure was simply a means of providing relief to those suffering from various ills. Critics pointed to examples in California, saying the Illinois medical marijuana proposal was essentially legalizing marijuana.
The bill was crafted off a similar bill that passed in California, allowing residents to obtain medical marijuana in cases where their doctor deemed it necessary.
The Illinois bill is similar to the California initiative because they both have the words “medical” and “marijuana” in them. Aside from that, they couldn’t be more different. Illinois’ bill is a tightly-regulated law that builds on the well-regulated medical marijuana systems in states not named “California”, whereas California’s medical marijuana is in a category all to itself among the 15 medical marijuana states. For critics to bring California scaremongering into the debate is intellectually dishonest when you compare the two laws:
- Illinois would have set a 7 plant / 2 ounce limit.
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- California allows doctors to recommend any reasonable plant and possession amount, with 6 plants / 8 ounces considered per se legal amounts.
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- Illinois would have had a strict list of qualifying conditions.
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- California allows doctors to recommend marijuana for any condition they believe it will help.
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- Illinois would have had a state-run registry card system.
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- California has a voluntary county-run registry card system.
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- Illinois would have had a three-year sunset clause.
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- California has had Prop 215 for 14 years and unless repealed, will have it forever.
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- Illinois would require cultivation in “an enclosed, locked facility” (i.e. no outdoor growing).
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- California allows outdoor growing.
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- Illinois would only allow a patient to reimburse their own state-registered caregiver for expenses.
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- California allows for all sorts of reimbursements through collectives.
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- Illinois would have a state-run registry for medical cannabis organizations and a patient would have to designate that dispensary as his or her caregiver to shop there.
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- California has an open unregulated private system that allows any patient to shop at any dispensary.
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- Illinois would recognize out-of-state medical marijuana cards, protect cardholders from DUI charges for metabolites, prevent employers from firing or not hiring medical marijuana patients, protect cardholders’ parental rights, and prevent landlords from evicting cardholders.
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- California offers none of these protections.
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This story once again illustrates the uphill battle reformers face in other states thanks to what are perceived as abuses in medical marijuana in California. Despite fourteen other states having much more restrictive and controlled medical marijuana systems, to many lawmakers California equals medical marijuana equals de facto legalization.
Posted in ACTIVISM, GOVERNMENT, SCIENCE | Tagged IL SB1381, Illinois
I am the producer of The NORML Network, the host of the NORML SHOW LIVE and The NORML Stash Blog, and NORML's Outreach Coordinator. I'm married, live in Portland, Oregon, and I am a registered medical marijuana caregiver in this state. I've worked days as an IT geek and nights as a professional musician. Previously, I have been the host of my own political talk radio show on satellite radio. I've been the High Times "Freedom Fighter of the Month" and I travel across the country to educate people on marijuana reform. I've dedicated my life to bringing an end to adult marijuana prohibition and re-legalizing cannabis hemp, and I'm honored to be chosen by NORML to give voice to the Marijuana Nation and to speak for those who can't speak up.
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Steve Bloom needs to start a media company that does entertainment production that promotes cannabis-hemp healing the world…a VISION THING .All forms of art and expression focused on survival through HEMP Healing…Socially,Spiritually, Economically,Medically,Financially,Mentally,Artistically and ANTI-WAR !
Down with the drug testing regime! Russ, my brotha! You and Ganja Jon and Can Keri thank you guys sooooo much!
Tim,I feel your pain and prohbition is a bitch. Hydoxyzine in pill form works for my wife. She cant smoke and doesn’t want to. Everytime I am forced to stop smoking I get mad as hell, because my brain knows what works for me,some of us cannot us alchole to relax and Im guessing you are like me in the fact that alchole doesnt work. Finally,invest in some fake urine, it works if done properly. You can however quit using mj but you have to rap yo mind around it, and understand its not forever.
ps
If all else fails it may be time to move to a medical mj state…….
I don’t smoke, but I have no problem with people who do. I’ve watched so many around me die of cancer, in so much pain, unable to eat. I know others who suffer from the side effect of anti-depressant drugs that do no good. ..and still more others who are in constant pain from spinal injuries and muscle diseases. I am shocked that I can get medical opiates (codeine and hydrocodone) from my dentist for a pulled wisdom tooth, but my grandfather couldn’t smoke a joint on his death bed. What sort of cruel joke is this?
I am 24 i’v smoked 4 10 years but ihave a good paying job that does random drug tests which after five years of getting lucky i failed cost me about 3000 dollars to keep my job im freaking out i cant piss away everything i own just to smoke but i cant quit its been a month and im so unhappy and depressed im contimplating trying to get a perscriiption for something to help but im not a pill popper i just want to be able to smoke any words of wisdom or anything i can do to help
I can’t beleive it did not pass.. I honestly don’t know how much longer I can take this shit! I am not a criminal,I am a father of three with a wonderful wife..I follow the laws and want nothing but the best for my state. I think it wll pass eventually,but what the hell am I supposed to do till then? Go back on the pharmies?I think not!
Russ I need some words of incouragement…I have grown my own for toooooo long to go back to mexican shwag,that shit just pisses me off.Why do we continue to put mj in the hands of bad people,people against us.I uess I can still legally buy a case of beer and beat the shit out of my wife,as long as I don’t have any mj i should be good. F the establishment and shame on them for trying to tell me how I have to live. Freedom, where did you go?