Former Prosecutor Backs the Idea
A man who once prosecuted marijuana cases is now writing legislation that would make it legal for some to obtain marijuana for medical purposes. Bill Haine was a State's Attorney for 14 years. The democrat from Alton is sponsoring Senate Bill 1382 which would establish a pilot program allowing medical marijuana use.

There is Opposition
I talked to a spokesman for the Illinois State Police, an agency that opposes this legislation. Lt. Scott Compton says the ISP is concerned the law has potential for abuse and fraud. Lt. Compton says police are concerned about marijuana's status as a "gateway drug."

A Different Attitude?
This legislation has come up before in Illinois and has never made it very far. This year, a similar house bill stalled. However, there does appear to be support for the senate bill in Senate President John Cullerton. He's backed this legislation in the past.

While federal law prohibits marijuana use for any reason, the U.S. Attorney said this year that the federal government would only prosecute marijuana cases in which both the state and federal laws are violated. This is a departure from the previous administration's stance on medical marijuana.

What's Next?
Senator Haine is working on four amendments to the bill that would further restrict who is eligible to use medical marijuana. He expects to present the amendments to the Public Health Committee early next week.

Senator Haine says that while medical marijuana legislation was widely abused in California, his bill is so restrictive that he believes Illinois would not have the same problems.

You can read the current form of the bill here.

1 Comments

sezme100 said:

if anyone deserves it the citizens of illinois do. it'll help them take their mind off of the politicians!

April 25, 2009 6:55 PM

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