Illinois already has medical marijuana laws on the books, but the program has been slow to roll out and it does not cover one of the fastest growing patient populations: epileptic children.
So it is with great relief that a bill adding epilepsy and severe seizure disorders to the list of state-approved qualifying conditions for medical cannabis patients has made it through both the House and Senate with few changes and seems likely to be passed into law.
Illinois state Rep. Lou Lang said his bill addresses the concerns of families who demand increased access for their children and critics who fear children becoming exposed to the highs of marijuana at too early of an age. Lang’s bill does not allow children to smoke medical cannabis, nor does it allow them to purchase it without adult supervision.
Lang’s bill has already been approved by the state House and and state Senate, but due to amendments the bill in the House since the initial vote, the bill must now go back for a revote in the Senate.
The House approved the amended measure 98-18.