Medical Marijuana Is A No-Go for Illinois

Senate Bill 1381, which would legalize medical marijuana in Illinois, failed to receive enough votes on Tuesday.

The Skokie area's Rep. Lou Lang (D-16th District) has been campaigning for medical marijuana use for some time. The bill received 53 votes, but needed at least 60 to pass.

The bill started its way through the General Assembly in February 2009, arriving from the Senate to the House that May. It finally moved from the Rules Committee to the House floor last month.

Lang has told Patch in the past that many politicians were for the legislation--enough to pass it and then some--but that they wouldn't vote for it because of possible political fallout.

If the bill had passed, people with illnesses such as cancer or AIDS would be able to grow and have marijuana at home after getting approval from a physician and the Department of Public Health. They would be able to possess at least three plants at any given time.

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

While 15 states already allow the use of medical marijuana, Lang said Senate Bill 1381 would be the strictest in the nation.

"It requires them [patients] to get a license from the Illinois Department of Public Health, which would monitor and license each person, and it provides strict penalties for those who break the law or use the marijuana and drive, or try to sell it or distribute it," Lang told WBBM radio.

Gov. Pat Quinn said that he would have signed the measure if it had passed. He has said in the past that he supports the use of medical marijuana.

Note: The video on the right shows Lou Lang asking elected officials to pass the bill.