• well... weed does help you..... people will are to dum to think... i did it... it does help it does changed my life to be good kid i never went to jail. because it made me smart. but the good thing about weed. it make you want to eat. that a good. and it make you tired. i bet you if they change the law thing will changed people will stop freak out. and be safe.. people cant controll there self without weed.

• I smoked pot for 25 years.  I grew pot (hydro) for 5 years.  The justice system forced me to stop playing games with my life.  I used to feel like most of the posts on your site but as I sit here "sober" for the last year and a half, I have to say I'm thankful for the courts to allow me to take control of my life again.  Pot kept me in a fog for too long and the fog has finally lifted.  I am of clear mind and more in control of my life and not letting some chemical (substance) control my life.  And for that I am grateful.  My 7-year old son will be grateful one day as well.

• It is possible that persons may require prescription medications or have to undergo physical therapy in order to control sciatica's painful effects. Surgery or injection therapy may be necessary in some cases. Magnetic Resonance neurography (MRN) is capable of generating a detailed image of virtually any nerve in the body. MRN can accurately image the sciatic nerve, and also shows that medical experts can diagnose and treat sciatic pain that is not caused by a herniated or damaged disc.

• ooops legalized

• God will see that his flower will be lagalized in Illinois!!

• It should be legal it is a God Given plant that needs to be used Not abuse, people will get it one way or another, why not make it legal so we can make money for our state. California. made millions,,The dealer are ripping off honest people,alcohol and cigarettes are legal and are so much worse for human? so do what is right make it legal here so we can save and make money!

• It should be legal it is a God Given plant that needs to be used Not abuse, people will get it one way or another, why not make it legal so we can make money for our state. California. made millions,,The dealer are ripping off honest people,alcohol and cigarettes are legal and are so much worse for human? so do what is right make it legal here so we can save and make money!

• hell to the mothafucking yeah make this bitch legal! their are people who really need this for medical purposes

• This is going to be the best thing that can happen if this gets pass for our state! It will provide more jobs less crime I guarantee,and free the Patients from their suffering. It is a cure for cancer that has been proven! It is a Beautiful God Given Plant that we have abused ????? These kids now at least will not go on the streets to crooked dealers that rob them, as they have done all these years and will keep doing as long as it is not legal! Same with the Adults, You can Never die from it That is the best part! Maybe sleep for days LOL but no worries with Marijuana.Legalize it . California, and many other States has it togetheir and no problems with it ???

• i have been taking pills for 6.5 years from vicodin to norco,all kinds of anti inflamation pills,i got hepatitis b/c of pills ,i had 2 back surgeries,stomach surgery,wrist surgery,neck surgery,eye surgery,i have a paralyzed left vocal cord,lost my voice,i still have a herniated disc in my thoracic spine,i have arthiritis in my entire spine,and i need another back surgery this time it will be a 3 level fusion with instruments, i am tired of taking pills i am only 32 years old with a wife and four kids, i am in pain everyday,neck,back both arms both legs, thighs feet, fingers,sciatica problems,all of my organs are messing up i have high cholesterol,diabetes,hepatitis,high blood pressure, i have a walker for assistance, i dont know what to do anymore, i have been waiting for this medical marijuana bill to pass so i dont have to take any pills ,i dont want to die at a young age b/c of pills, if anyone knows about pain i am living proof if my story is of any help to anyone write back i would like to readanycoments

• i sure will be glad when this law is overturned. i would much rather go to the store and get a bag of weed than a bottle of liquor. tired of random drug tests at the job. this is the dumbest law. im sure politicians are somewhere toking up. hypocrits. ive been smokin for 15years. never have i wanted to try anything else. if i drink liquor, im throwin up somewhere makin an ass of myself. legalize the good stuff. i wanna enjoy my buzz just like the person who loves to have a stiff drink after work.

• It is about time, the criminalization of marijuana is pointless, it is about time to get "real" on this issue, and follow in the footsteps of our brothers and sisters in California.

• Wow, what a fantastic post... could someone do us all a favor and forward this to the entire Illinois General Assembly. What I find most annoying is ex DEA administrator (something Bessner I believe) going around saying the main problem is that the FDA is the authority on medicines and they aren't for medical marijuana... completely negating to mention that due to its ridiculous schedule 1 status... it is nearly impossible for the FDA to obtain for studies. My only satisfaction comes from knowing that in time, when history looks back on the brief and downright stupid prohibition of cannabis, they will note its roots were in a political and racist agenda and all who spent their lives supporting that agenda will be forever remembered as what they were... hacks.

• I am turning 50 this year and have been on medication for RA. for 5 years. As every year passes Doctors want to increase/change try different medication. All of which effects my organs, then I have to monitor my liver, take another pill for my liver...etc. I am SO tired of pills and shots. EVERYTHING I have read supports marijuana for RA patients. Can actually REVERSE the condition if started at the early stage. Please help support this law in Illinois. Don't wait until our symptoms have escalated to the point of only relieving the pain - help us completely alleviate the disease!

• Steve, just for the record, Medical Marijuana has been legal in Illinois since 1978. Read about it here: http://www.chicagoreader.com/gyrobase/medical-marijuana-pot-illinois-cannabis-control-act-legalization/Content?oid=1629059&showFullText=true You can read Illinois Cannabis law here: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1937&ChapAct=720%26nbsp;ILCS%26nbsp;550/&ChapterID=53&ChapterName=CRIMINAL+OFFENSES&ActName=Cannabis+Control+Act. Go about half way down the page to this section: (720 ILCS 550/11) (from Ch. 56 1/2, par. 711) Medical Marijuana has been legal in Illinois for 32 years. Welcome to the 70's LA!

• We're doing fine in California......

• Just read this article, I am in Los Angeles. Good luck Illinois, welcome to the 21st century .

• Just pass the damn law and let the people get on with their lives. Marijuana should be legal for everyone to smoke if they so choose, not just people who have health issues. Pass the law, have the government grow it, tax it, and let's get on with life!

• My Fiance is a cop here in Illinois, and she has no problem with marijuana what so ever, because i am from a medical marijuana state and moved here to illinois a year ago, she doesnt mind if i go smoke a bowl or a joint because i have a medical card that allows me to in Michigan thats why this bill needs to be passed so i dont have to do anything illegal by illinois' laws

• Well atleast we have the doctors on our side, its pretty sad that its up to a bunch of politicians to whether or not people can ease their pain with a plant. I would rather smoke a plant anyday than take a pill that will cure one thing and cause 10 other things that you are going to take more pills for in the long end. I am pro medical marijuana, i moved to Illinois from michigan for a job and i miss being able to grow my medicine for my massive migranes and T.I.A.'s i have and have no worries, where here i have to buy it illegally and always have look over my back to make sure i dont get arrested, but i still have my medical card from michigan

• Why should med-MJ be the treatment of last resort? It's more effective and less deleterious than most (if not all) of the alternatives. Shouldn't it merit first use status? The sole negative is smoking as the delivery mechanism and you can mediate that by ingesting cookies or brownies made with marijuana butter. Marijuana is non-addictive and non-toxic; the main issue remains over-use (abuse) and driving under the influence. We have laws to deal with driving while intoxicated. Where they are not, the law should be blind to the intoxicant used. If your driving is impaired, you shouldn't be driving, regardless of how you got that way. By contrast, alcohol is toxic, legal, can just as readily be abused, and in fact results in greater DUI driving risk than marijuana intoxicated drivers, who tend to drive slowly to compensate for their condition. Marijuana prohibition is rooted in racism - the time has come to get this bit of racism off the books. Legalize it for medical and recreational use, so possession, transportation, and use can't be used by police as a tool of selective enforcement and state sanctioned extortion. If you're worried about smoking in restaurants or stadiums, then prohibit smoking in those venues, whether it be tobacco, marijuana, opium, lettuce, or oregano. Get the government out of the business of propagandizing against this substance or that; rely on substance neutral intoxication laws that allow responsible adults to imbibe the drug of their choice without government abrogating their ninth amendment rights. Remind the Supreme Court that marijuana's medicinal value is in fact irrelevant - there is not nor has there ever been a compelling state interest in marijuana prohibition regardless of its actual or potential benefits. The people have been stripped of their rights to grow, possess, imbibe, and transport a substance that is certainly less dangerous than either alcohol or tobacco, and in fact is arguably less dangerous than eating butter, ice cream, crème brûlee, or filet mignon. It's high time that the people's right to make their own health and recreational choices was restored and the government turned its attention to securing the borders.

• i totally agree with you. its another great step towards total legalization. and we all need to realize we will just be patient b/c it will be a long process full of many steps like this to get our federal government to comply with us on things.

• Good for you David! and it's always great to see people from law enforcement come on board in the Campaign! There is a Group called "Law Enforcement Against Prohibition" - I think they do a marvellous work and show, as an establishment group, that the issue of marijuana can be handled without sending people to jail.

• Yes, but respectfully so = halfway there :-)

• Guess what State law still does not override federal law. It will still be illegal.

• I am a retired state police officer and I fully support this bill. It's long overdue for the myths and lies about marijuana to be replaced with facts, and the fact is that this natural plant has many uses and actually helps sick people without any worry about side effects.

• Halfway there = http://bit.ly/dpjwAB

• "In strict medical terms, marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume ... Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man." -- DEA Administrative Law Judge, Francis L. Young 1988

• Oh wow that makes a lot of sense dude. Lou www.online-privacy.de.tc

• If you were a studying MD, or read this article, you would know that it is "Cannabis". Canibus is a rapper. Stupid pothead.

• Leonard Krivitsky, I am a studying MD and I could not agree more with your statement. Its really embarrassing to see this kind of attitude towards something that is a more healthy choice than alcohol or cigarettes by a LONG SHOT! I hope we can get more and more people to see things the same way we do (in respect to Cannibus) :P

• Medical Cannabis is much safer than alcohol and most controlled prescription drugs in terms of potential for overdose, creation of a dependency or organ damage. Just recently such popular drugs as Tylenol, Motrin and Benadryl were "recalled" due to potential serious, even fatal, side effects. And yet, there is an active disinformation campaign going on with respect to "medical Cannabis". Also, I would comment that Cannabis use has been shown to suppress violent behavior (Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, 4-th Edition, page 267), and this is extremely important from the point of view of the individual, as well as public, safety. Since Cannabis use suppresses violence by inducing a calm, relaxed state and also improves the "negative affective state" that many people occasionally have, its use may also prove to be a "barrier", rather than "gateway" to alcohol and hard drug use. I would also comment that Anti-Cannabis laws on this country seem to encourage young people to experiment with alcohol and/or hard drugs for the simple reason that Cannabis, which is much less dangerous, can be detected in drug testing for much longer than, say, heroin, other opiates, cocaine, or methamphetamines. This is why many people may tend to try those hard drugs with very high "addiction liability" and then get addicted. Removing marijuana from the same group with heroin and cocaine will finally send the right message to young people as to the dangers of the latter, or otherwise some people may assume that cocaine, heroin, other opiates or methamphetamines are JUST AS dangerous (or non-dangerous) as Cannabis, while they are infinitely more dangerous. This is the true story of the so-called "gateway drug" theory. I believe we need to show the public BENEFIT from legalizing Cannabis, not just the absence of harm. I further believe that stressing Cannabis potential to suppress violence and, hopefully, curb the hard drug abuse and addiction is a PUBLIC SAFETY issue, and we are on the right side of it!

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