Will Illinois Legalize Medical Marijuana?

Illinois House leader Lou Lang (D-Skokie) has been pushing two controversial bills over the last two decades: the expansion of Illinois gaming and the legalization of medical marijuana.

Whenever asked about the possibility of Illinois becoming the nineteenth state to legalize the green leafy substance, Lang is always optimistic. Two years ago, he told Skokie Patch that he only needed to secure "two or three" votes to pass the bill. Obviously, that never came to fruition.

However, other states have recently passed similar bills and Lang is hoping Illinois can become the next state to ride the green wave, saying he wants to help those who can seriously benefit, medically speaking, from the drug.

Recently, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia allowed the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Meanwhile, Colorado and Washington have taken it to another level, allowing citizens to smoke pot recreationally.

But for Lang the legalization of medical marijuana isn't about recreation use - it's about helping people who can benefit medically from the drug, he said.

"Nobody should fear the bill," Lang told Skokie Patch. "This is about quality of life for people."

Lang said he "strongly believes" that lawmakers will be voting on the bill this January, a month known by many as the "lame duck session," where elected officials can vote on a particular bill just before the end of their tenure.   

"Illinois would be the nineteenth state to pass the bill (the District of Columbia also recently passed the bill)," Lang said. "And of all of those, Illinois will be the most tightly regulated."    

What are some of those regulations? According to the House Bill 0030:

• Repeal the program after three years. This means the use of medical marijuana would enter a three year pilot program to see how effectively the bill is working, and if any tweaks or adjustments need to be made for the future.
• People will not be allowed to drive for 12 hours after consuming marijuana.
• It would be illegal for marijuana dispensaries to make campaign contributions.
• Those looking to dispense medical marijuana would have to pay a $5,000 non-refundable application fee and a $20,000 certificate fee.
• If passed, a person who can legally smoke medical marijuana can have no more than six cannabis plants and two ounces of dried usable cannabis at any given time.
• If a caregiver or patient dispenses - or sells - cannabis illegally they will face a penalty of not more than two years in prison and a fine not more than $2,000.
• Also, see PDF image posted above.

Lang said he is "very close" to securing the 60 votes needed to pass the measure to the Senate. If the bill arrives on the Senate's floor, many experts believe they will approve the measure.

In May 2011, Lang's medical marijuana bill received 53 of the 60 votes needed to pass. In November 2010, the bill also fell short by seven votes and failed to pass to the Senate.

"How do you turn down the people who are sick? Who are in pain," Lang said. "People who haven't been able to have a quality life. This is not a bill about drugs. This is a bill about health care."

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