The Randolph County Herald-Tribune

2008-04-03

COULTERVILLE- As the General Assembly breaks for the spring holiday season, a Coulterville medical marijuana patient is one of many around Illinois urging lawmakers to pass the bill to protect seriously ill people like her from arrest for using doctorrecommended medical marijuana.

Gretchen Steele, a registered nurse who has found medical marijuana effective at treating the debilitating symptoms of her seven-year battle with multiple sclerosis, is available to television, print and radio outlets to tell her personal story and how legal medical marijuana protection would improve her life.

For the first time ever, both chambers of the General Assembly are considering medical marijuana bills. According to a recent poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, Illinois residents favor allowing seriously and terminally ill patients to use marijuana for medical purposes by a 68-27 percent margin.

Most medical professionals also agree on the need for legal protection for medical marijuana patients and their doctors. Last month, the American College of Physicians – the second largest U.S. medical association representing 124,000 physicians – issued a policy paper calling for legal protection for medical marijuana patients and for the federal government to respect the will of voters in states with medical marijuana laws.

Illinois could become the 13th state to protect its sick and dying from arrest for using medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation – and the first in the Midwest. Similar legislation is currently under consideration in Minnesota and New York, and voters in Michigan will likely see a medical marijuana initiative on their November ballot.