Tagged: Cannabis in the United States

Illinois lawmaker pushes for medical marijuana bill

Illinois lawmaker pushes for medical marijuana bill

An Illinois sponsor of a medical marijuana measure says he may have enough votes to pass the bill in the Statehouse, the Chicago Tribune reports. Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, says his ”nose count” has him near the 60 votes needed for approval of a three-year trial medical marijuana program called the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act, which would be a first for Ill.

“If members vote their consciences, I’ll have the votes,” said Lang, who fell short a handful of votes last year, although the Senate approved similar previous legislation in 2010.

This season may be different, however, because three dozen lawmakers in the House and Senate are not coming back in the next General Assembly, making them lame ducks, Ray Long reports. “Their votes are more likely to be up for grabs given that they are not expected to face the voters again.”

CBS News reports that advocates of medical marijuana are in Springfield to lobby state lawmakers to approve the use of medical marijuana with strict limitations. The drug would only be prescribed by doctors, in small amounts, to qualifying terminally ill patients or their designated caregivers. Individuals suffering from AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis or a “debilitating medical condition” may qualify.

A qualifying patient or caregiver would only be able to legally possess 6 cannabis plants and 2 ounces of dried usable cannabis during a two-week period.

State Rep. Jim Durkin, R-Countryside, opposes the measure because he fears it will make the drug more available. “Just in the last two weeks in DeKalb, there was a 10-pound traffic stop of medical marijuana that came from Oregon,” Durkin said.

The AP reports that Rep. Jim Sacia, R-Freeport, acknowledges that Lang may have enough votes to pass the measure, but the former FBI agent still plans to fight it. “I just see it as a tremendous mistake,” said Sacia.

Lang may bring the measure to vote this week at the General Assembly. He told the AP that there are ”a whole bunch of people who are wavering.” He will work over the weekend before putting the measure to vote, although he may be close to the 60 votes needed.

Medical marijuana supporters have already won local approval for medical use in 18 states and D.C. Voters in Colorado and Washington chose to legalize marijuana, although, the federal government currently lists marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has no medically accepted use and high potential for abuse.

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Medical Marijuana: DEA continues to classify cannabis alongside heroin and LSD

A patient and physician-based organization supporting the legalization of medical marijuana asked a federal appeals court last week to ease regulations on the drug. The organization, Americans for Safe Access, also accused the federal Drug Enforcement Agency of acting arbitrarily in refusing to reclassify marijuana as a less harmful drug. The federal government currently lists marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has no medically accepted use and high potential for abuse.

A three-judge panel heard Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The last time the appeals court considered marijuana’s classification was in 2002.

The Huffington Post reports that Americans for Safe Access lawyer Joseph Elford asked the court to force the DEA to reconsider its classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug. Other drugs classified as Schedule 1 include heroin and LSD. Drugs like cocaine, opium and methamphetamine are classified less strictly, as Schedule II, indicating “some accepted medical use.”

Elford also accused the DEA of ignoring 200 well-controlled studies that demonstrate that cannabis has legitimate medical uses. The Chicago Tribune reports that Americans for Safe Access wants the court to reclassify marijuana a Schedule III, or lower, drug.

Government lawyer Lena Watkins told the court, “They don’t have the type of study that would allow them or any other expert to reach a conclusion about the medical utility of marijuana.” She said the DEA found no “substantial evidence” of acceptable medical marijuana use.

She maintained that marijuana is dangerous, saying it causes “adverse physical and psychological consequences.”

The DEA rejected the studies Elford cited, Watkins said, because they did not meet the standard of double-blind FDA approval trials. She said results are still pending from 15 government-approved studies.

“This game of ‘gotcha’ will continue indefinitely unless this court intervenes,” Elford told the panel. “They won’t allow additional research to be conducted.”

The crux of the case rests on disabled military veteran Michael Krawitz. According to Americans for Safe Access, Krawitz was denied access to Veterans Administration services because of his use of marijuana for pain and stress. Krawitz resides in Virginia, where marijuana for medical use is not approved.

The official blog for the Americans for Safe Access reports that the court has ordered supplemental briefing on the issue of “standing,” which the organization describes as a rare move.

“[The] order asks the petitioners to provide the court with details about how plaintiff Michael Krawitz, a U.S. Air Force veteran, sustained harm as a result of the federal government’s refusal to recognize the therapeutic value of marijuana,” according to the posting.

The Los Angeles Times’ David G. Savage reports: “Marijuana’s classification as a Schedule I drug dates to 1970, when Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act. On two occasions since then, marijuana advocates have petitioned the DEA to reconsider the classification, citing the medical benefits of cannabis.”

Medical marijuana supporters have already won local approval for medical use in 16 states and D.C.

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