Bonetwister
New member
Will Third Time Be The Charm for MMJ Effort?
Posted by CN Staff on May 10, 2007 at 05:51:20 PT
By Haley Murray
Source: Collinsville Herald
medical Illinois -- Once again, the question of legalizing marijuana for medical use has found itself on the floor of the Illinois Senate.
Senate Bill 650 is the third such effort by Sen. John J. Cullerton (D-Chicago) to permit people diagnosed with debilitating medical diseases, like terminal cancer, and their physicians to legally possess marijuana.
Just last year, Cullerton sponsored a similar bill that did not come up for discussion before the session ended Jan. 9. He was also the force behind a 2005 bill that sought to create a commission to study the medical marijuana issue. The initiative stalled in the Senate Rules Committee, and never came up for discussion in the full Senate.
The proposed bill amends the state Cannabis Control Act, and would require patients and physicians to obtain a registry identification card issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health. All plants must be grown in an indoor, locked facility.
Marijuana use by people with weakening diseases, like HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and cancer has been proven to improve their quality of life, said Bruce Mirken, a representative for the Marijuana Policy Project, which strives for the national legalization of medical marijuana.
It can stimulate the appetite, relieve nausea and alleviate critical pain, he said.
"A lot of the strongest support has come from AIDS groups," Mirken said. "People with HIV suffer from a particular kind of pain caused by the virus itself."
This intense kind of pain, called peripheral neuropathy, is caused by damage to the peripheral nervous system. People who suffer from peripheral neuropathy often do not respond to conventional pain pills, Mirken said. Other sufferers include people with kidney failure, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
It is for this reason that Jamie Clayton, a Madison County native who grew up in Bethalto and now lives in Grafton, supports the measure.
"One of my biggest problems is peripheral neuropathy. That's my biggest downfall at this point in time," he said.
Clayton is well versed in the medical marijuana trials that took place at the University of California at San Francisco, and has sent literature and a documentary about the project to local legislators, including Sen. William Haine (D-Alton) and Sen. James Clayborne (D-Belleville). Haine and Clayborne's offices did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The trials, which focused on the plant's effect on people with peripheral neuropathy, found that more than half of the study's subjects realized a 30 percent decrease in pain, as well as an increase in appetite and the ability to keep food down.
"I really do hope that 650 makes it this time. We were close last year, but we've gotten more attention this year," he said.
The Illinois Nurses Association, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the Test Positive Aware Network have endorsed the bill. It has also received support from a surprising audience -clergymen.
"A number of religious denominations support this," said Mirken. "They way the look at it is, it's a natural extension of basic religious values of charity and mercy."
The bill has passed the Public Health Committee 6-4 and is slated for a vote before the end of the month.
If passed, Illinois would become the 13th state to legalize marijuana for medical use. Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington have all legalized medical marijuana in the past decade.
"It's not a recreational drug, it's a therapeutic element," Clayton said. "It has remarkable anesthetic abilities to reduce pain. It's as equally important as any other aspect of medicine, and that's the message we want to get across."
Note: Latest bill would allow those with AIDS, cancer to use the drug to ease pain.
Source: Collinsville Herald (IL)
Author: Haley Murray
Published: Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Copyright: 2007 Collinsville Herald
Contact: [email protected]
Website: http://collinsvilleherald.stltoday.com/
Related Articles:
Will Our Leaders Be Dopes?
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22943.shtml
Backers Stress Compassion of Medical Marijuana
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22919.shtml
Clergy Join Push To OK Medical Pot
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22910.shtml
Posted by CN Staff on May 10, 2007 at 05:51:20 PT
By Haley Murray
Source: Collinsville Herald
medical Illinois -- Once again, the question of legalizing marijuana for medical use has found itself on the floor of the Illinois Senate.
Senate Bill 650 is the third such effort by Sen. John J. Cullerton (D-Chicago) to permit people diagnosed with debilitating medical diseases, like terminal cancer, and their physicians to legally possess marijuana.
Just last year, Cullerton sponsored a similar bill that did not come up for discussion before the session ended Jan. 9. He was also the force behind a 2005 bill that sought to create a commission to study the medical marijuana issue. The initiative stalled in the Senate Rules Committee, and never came up for discussion in the full Senate.
The proposed bill amends the state Cannabis Control Act, and would require patients and physicians to obtain a registry identification card issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health. All plants must be grown in an indoor, locked facility.
Marijuana use by people with weakening diseases, like HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and cancer has been proven to improve their quality of life, said Bruce Mirken, a representative for the Marijuana Policy Project, which strives for the national legalization of medical marijuana.
It can stimulate the appetite, relieve nausea and alleviate critical pain, he said.
"A lot of the strongest support has come from AIDS groups," Mirken said. "People with HIV suffer from a particular kind of pain caused by the virus itself."
This intense kind of pain, called peripheral neuropathy, is caused by damage to the peripheral nervous system. People who suffer from peripheral neuropathy often do not respond to conventional pain pills, Mirken said. Other sufferers include people with kidney failure, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
It is for this reason that Jamie Clayton, a Madison County native who grew up in Bethalto and now lives in Grafton, supports the measure.
"One of my biggest problems is peripheral neuropathy. That's my biggest downfall at this point in time," he said.
Clayton is well versed in the medical marijuana trials that took place at the University of California at San Francisco, and has sent literature and a documentary about the project to local legislators, including Sen. William Haine (D-Alton) and Sen. James Clayborne (D-Belleville). Haine and Clayborne's offices did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The trials, which focused on the plant's effect on people with peripheral neuropathy, found that more than half of the study's subjects realized a 30 percent decrease in pain, as well as an increase in appetite and the ability to keep food down.
"I really do hope that 650 makes it this time. We were close last year, but we've gotten more attention this year," he said.
The Illinois Nurses Association, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the Test Positive Aware Network have endorsed the bill. It has also received support from a surprising audience -clergymen.
"A number of religious denominations support this," said Mirken. "They way the look at it is, it's a natural extension of basic religious values of charity and mercy."
The bill has passed the Public Health Committee 6-4 and is slated for a vote before the end of the month.
If passed, Illinois would become the 13th state to legalize marijuana for medical use. Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington have all legalized medical marijuana in the past decade.
"It's not a recreational drug, it's a therapeutic element," Clayton said. "It has remarkable anesthetic abilities to reduce pain. It's as equally important as any other aspect of medicine, and that's the message we want to get across."
Note: Latest bill would allow those with AIDS, cancer to use the drug to ease pain.
Source: Collinsville Herald (IL)
Author: Haley Murray
Published: Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Copyright: 2007 Collinsville Herald
Contact: [email protected]
Website: http://collinsvilleherald.stltoday.com/
Related Articles:
Will Our Leaders Be Dopes?
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22943.shtml
Backers Stress Compassion of Medical Marijuana
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22919.shtml
Clergy Join Push To OK Medical Pot
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22910.shtml