Illinois Medical Marijuana Bill Fails Again, Despite Republican Support

A bill to create a trial program that would legalize the use of medical marijuana in Illinois has failed in the state House, a heartbreaking defeat for supporters who thought they had the votes lined up this time around.

The measure got 53 votes in the Illinois State House, where it would have needed 60 to pass. Sixty-one legislators voted against it, with four voting present.

Supporters of the bill, including Representative Lou Lang, who has been pushing such a measure for years, were encouraged last week by House Minority Leader Tom Cross, who announced in a surprising reversal that he would support the measure. Cross made the decision after speaking with a number of chronic pain sufferers, including a disabled veteran. The leader also said he thought four or five additional Republicans might cross the aisle with him on the vote.

“The best prospects for passing this bill now comes because we have cooperation from the other side of the aisle,” an optimistic Lang said at the time.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. In fact, the bill got exactly the same number of votes as it did last November during the lame-duck session, when it also fell short.

Opponents in the House made familiar arguments against the pilot program, which would have expired in three years. “This is not a medicine, this is an illegal substance,” said Rep. Patricia Bellock, a Republican from Westmont, according to the State Journal-Register.

In fact, the new version of the bill had careful controls in place to restrict its use only to those suffering from chronic illness, who are often faced with the choice of intense pain or a potentially addictive prescription like methadone with debilitating side effects. From the Chicago Tribune:

...the use of marijuana would be limited to people with 19 specific illnesses that range from lupus to cancer.

Doses would have been dispensed from a limited number of highly regulated not-for-profits, rather than drugstores. Penalties including potential prison time were aimed at discouraging attempts to turn a medical prescription into dime bags on the street.

Lang put the measure on postponed consideration, to preserve the possibility of bringing it up later in the session, according to Capitol Fax.

Comments

[PabloKoh]

07:28 PM on 06/03/2011

Can we get a public screening of the film, "Cannabis cures cancer" or another medical cannabis film near Rep. Patricia Bellock's home in Westmont? Any activists in the area?

[dbrett480]

02:53 PM on 05/29/2011

This seemed like a pretty reasonable bill since it limited the number of diseases covered. In some states, medical marijuana is used for everything under the sun. So doctors (not top of the class ones) have basically become drug dealers.

[Nick Lyons]

12:31 AM on 05/18/2011

http://regulatemarijuanalikewine.com/

[SamKnause]

03:54 PM on 05/07/2011

The campaign of lies continues !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Corruption sure does have a way of making our politicians look foolish beyond belief.

If you are against the legalization of Hemp or Marijuana, your pockets are lined with cash, you are an accomplice to the destruction of your country, you are ill informed and have done no research on the subject, you represent big pharma or the private prison complex; not your constituents, lobbyist pay for your votes, and you are a traitor to this country.

The majority of politicians do not care about the well being of this country.

Their actions on almost every issue proves my statement.

The government of the U.S. has been hijacked.

[Mary Jane Mangold]

10:48 PM on 05/06/2011

Im voting against every person who voted against or present.Next election.Look them up and get them out.I dont give two **** if they are republicans or dems .were running them out of town !!!!!!

[StuffMoreStuff]

04:11 PM on 05/06/2011

I can't believe it is the g)d@mn democrats standing in the way of this. This stuff was made illegal via a propaganda campaign.

[Mary Jane Mangold]

10:50 PM on 05/06/2011

did you even read the artical or look to see who voted for and who voted against? No just run your mouth and vote for the same idiots who voted this down.

“This is not a medicine, this is an illegal substance,” said Rep. Patricia Bellock, a Republican from Westmont,

[StuffMoreStuff]

07:54 PM on 05/07/2011

I did indeed, and I therefore reject in its entirety your post.

[mavalos]

11:53 AM on 05/06/2011

My aunt told me a story last month of when she was younger. Her grandmother had a chronic pain in her ankle and she would soak cannabis leaves in alcohol then wrap the leaves around her ankle to relieve her pain. I told a friend that story and she said her grandmother would do the same thing. It is a shame that we live in a country that considers that a criminal act.

""What we have here is a failure to communicate."

We, meaning nearly every American politician, authority and citizen, insofar as addressing the problems of drug war. We will always have drugs and will always have problems with drugs but they will be much less severe when we tax, regulate and actually control these so called "controlled substances" for adult use.

We can suppose for another 93 years that we can change the minds of hundreds of millions of users worldwide, tens of millions of growers, traffickers, distributors; continue to feed our terrorist enemies cash cow, fund the paramilitaries in Colombia and the deadly cartels in Mexico, give reason for the violent gangs to exist on our streets, ensure our childrens easy access to drugs or we can legalize drugs for adults. The answer to this question must come from you and be directed to our servants in the legislatures. Silence is far from golden."
- www.drugtruth.net

[Philip DeVon]

10:52 AM on 05/06/2011

I am a proud marijuana smoker. I could care less what some out of touch legislators think or say, most of it is lies. Most of them use or have used pot in the past as well.

[Tyrant]

07:00 AM on 05/06/2011

I've been smoking pot in Illinois for 15 years.

[Jason Bussell]

02:13 AM on 05/06/2011

Who is paying to lobby against it? I understand that the lumber industry factored heavily into criminalizing the plant because they wanted to do away with the hemp competition. But I don't think Big Lumber is the political force it once was. The only industry I can see that would not want pot legal is the alcohol industry. We need to decriminalize it nationally. Every year we send billions of dollars out of the country and to the violent drug cartels of Central and South America. We need to allow it, tax it, and keep people from driving when too impaired. If you argue that "It is bad because it is illegal" then it must be good if the law changes.

[TggerJen]

05:42 AM on 05/06/2011

Your logic is good about the alcohol industry. Is it perhaps the beer/liquor lobby behind all this?

[StuffMoreStuff]

04:11 PM on 05/06/2011

It would not be surprising.

[Bmori]

01:05 AM on 05/06/2011

Some of these statements sound like people still think reefer madness is news footage.

[TggerJen]

05:43 AM on 05/06/2011

Very good point!

[ramal]

12:43 AM on 05/06/2011

America, you just won't grow up will you?

[reeferJeep]

12:36 AM on 05/06/2011

Patricia Bellock, your statement is just ludicrous. Let me tell you a secret, it's only an illegal substance because of ignorant people like you. Why can't it be medicine? Oh because it hasn't been chemically altered by man and nature is nothing. Nature heals better than anything that man can create. I wish to live to see the day of legalization. With people like her, that makes it seem so far away.

[TggerJen]

05:44 AM on 05/06/2011

Plus, how many people abuse prescription drugs? The big pharma lobby is just a lot more powerful than the reefer lobby.

[Haufsnaggle]

10:13 AM on 05/06/2011

Take a bottle of Rx pills, then you die.
Take a bag of marijuana, then you sleep.

[Vegan Girl]

11:47 PM on 05/05/2011

Most prescription drugs are harmful and addictive. To deny chronically sick, suffering people the benefits of weed is cruel and barbaric. (I think it should be legal for recreation use as well.) I have no doubt that Illinois will get this right very soon.

[TggerJen]

05:44 AM on 05/06/2011

Great point! I hope your optimism is soon justified by legislators there!

[RationalDubSteppa]

08:30 PM on 05/05/2011

Illinois is great if you stay in the chicago land area, outside of that... man it's like the boondocks!

[WowJones]

08:38 PM on 05/05/2011

I live in Chicago, that is the truth

[1oldhippie]

09:27 PM on 05/05/2011

Illinois is GREAT in the boondocks, too. (100 miles west)