Cannabis News Students for Sensible Drug Policy
  Medical Marijuana Measure Fails in Illinois Senate
Posted by CN Staff on May 11, 2007 at 13:14:52 PT
By Stephanie Sievers  
Source: Quad-City Times 

medical Springfield -- A measure that would have allowed seriously ill people to legally use marijuana failed in the Illinois Senate Thursday.

Thirteen other states have legalized medical marijuana, but Illinois senators voted 29-22 against it. The sponsor, Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said he will continue to work to get some of his colleagues to change their minds.

"Apparently, it's not very hard in our society to obtain marijuana. So people who have these diseases are getting it. The only issue is whether or not we should have it be a crime for them to possess it," he said.

Advocates for medical marijuana say the drug helps ease the side effects of cancer chemotherapy, glaucoma, AIDS and many other diseases.

Under Sen. Cullerton's bill, people with debilitating medical conditions or their primary caregivers could legally possess up to 12 marijuana plants and 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana -- if its use was prescribed by physicians.

The idea makes sense to Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, who voted in favor of the bill.

"I don't think sick people should be treated like criminals. If a doctor believes that medical marijuana is more useful, less toxic and less expensive than a traditional, man-made medicine, than we ought to take a long, hard look at moving in that direction," he said.

Sen. Todd Sieben, R-Geneseo, was among those voting against the bill.

Sen. Dave Syverson of Rockford, the only Republican to vote "yes," said he's listened to the ongoing debate over medical marijuana for years and the proponents have finally convinced him.

"Each year, they come with more information and more (legislative) safeguards so I think this time, at least as far as I was concerned, they made a good enough case," he said.

Sen. Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete, who voted "present," said she thinks there are better alternatives.

"My concerns are the abuses. I would have loved to have helped people out, but there's got to be a medication out there that can help," she said. "It's illegal. You don't want it in the hands of the wrong people."

Source: Quad-City Times (IA)
Author: Stephanie Sievers
Published: May 11, 2007
Copyright: 2007 Quad-City Times
Contact: opinions@qctimes.com
Website: http://www.qctimes.com

Related Articles:

Medical Marijuana Bill Fails State Senate
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22964.shtml

Will Third Time Be The Charm for MMJ Effort?
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22958.shtml

Will Our Leaders Be Dopes?
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22943.shtml


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Comment #25 posted by Dankhank on May 16, 2007 at 20:35:27 PT
Paul
makes me feel lazy ...

Keep up the good fight ...

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #24 posted by paulpeterson on May 16, 2007 at 16:07:31 PT
Senator Tom Harkin ain't so bad-Iowa
I have been in contact numerous times with Harkin's office regarding medical marijuana issues (Sioux City, Iowa office).

His people are quite nice there. I got a rather more conciliatory letter from him also. (Maybe the Norml affiliation caused him to be more bellicose?).

Last year, in fact, he joined Republican Senator Grassley in calling for Walters, drug czar, to resign, for misplaced focus on medical marijuana interdiction to the detriment of methamphetamines which are the true scourge of the plaines.

Also, please note that in the runup to the Iraq invasion, he made a stirring diatribe on C-Span about how ALL WARS ARE STARTED WITH DECEPTION, including the "Remember the Saratoga" incident-where we bombed our own ship in Havana Harbor to claim the Spaniards did it-to start that war where Teddy Roosevelt got the good photo op up San Juan Hill. Further, of course, is the potential for FDR to have allowed the Pearl Harbor attack-to get us into that big war and out of isolation (it worked swell, didn't it?).

Then there was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that formally got us into that informal war-"Remember the Maddox & Turner Joy?" (those were two ships supposedly attacked by the North Vietnamese-not-we only claimed they did it-we really did). And then there was that "Yellow Cake" frosting on the cake that Bush whipped up, eh?

I did a big editorial 3/25/03 or so about it-anybody that wants to see it let me know and I will bring it in on disk.

Harkin, it seems, is as scared of the political ramifications of seeming too liberal about marijuana laws right now-what with the livid vicious law enforcement mania about this subject right now. He is running for reelection and deserves a chance. Last summer when I met him face to face and said I respected him for stating "some wars" are started with deception-he looked me deep in the eyes and said strongly: "ALL WARS ARE" with conviction that runs deep.

I then mentioned to him that his Democratic collegue, Dick Durbin, of Illinois, has become the lead sponsor of federal medical marijuana legislation in the Senate! (It took me a few years to get that done, but it's done now). Harkin said something like "good, it takes someone to get it started". So don't count him out just because of a letter which he surely knows would be published.

And by the way, Republican Senator Grassley is no spring chicken about medical marijuana issues, either-he got one of the IND patients approved for marijuana for MS-back in 1991, before the program got shut down flat. In other words, I know there may be closet supporters out there, waiting for the groundswell to get to critical mass. (and his office people in Sioux City, Iowa have bee cordial and open to my inputs as well).

Incidently, Republican Congressman Steve King-Mr. build the Mexican border wall himself-has a really nice person in the Storm Lake, Iowa office that has been most open to my updates about medical marijuana research-like a dozen times in the past four years. He sounds bigotted-but he also would be willing to join forces if we get that close to a quorum vote thing happening in the house.

And hey-with Mr. Ron Paul of Texas-our open medical marijuana leader in the Republican house-making some real good waves in the Presidential sweepstakes right now-like being the darkhorse winner of both debates-who knows-maybe the tide is turning, eh?

Just checking in from behind enemy lines in Northwest Iowa. Now I have nixed three judges off a variety of small criminal charges I have picked up from 1) attending a church service and doing a saucy "heresy" editorial, 2) trying to settle that charge with the husband of a brain cancer patient that should be tried with THC (another "trespass charge") and 3) for delivering some research treatises from Senior Manuel Guzman, the emminent Spanish researcher that has proven THC can safely be injected into the brains of living cancer patients (and extend their lives) also for breast cancer and now PANCREATIC CANCER-to Storm Lake City Hall (a "disorderly conduct charge")-this is really called a "political defendant strategy", where I draw retaliatory prosecution for really inane charges-to keep them from trying to entrap me in more serious gulog drug war charges.

And now I have the state's "Ombudsman's" office helping to gain evidence that has repeatedly been withheld-I also have evidence that two police officers committed perjury in an earlier matter-and hope to gain criminal charges against them in short order. I just wish I was getting paid for my troubles rather than just keeping these goons tied up in their own knots. Oh well, bye for now. PAUL PETERSON

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #23 posted by afterburner on May 15, 2007 at 17:03:12 PT
museman
"it is wrong that our leaders have the power to veto our liberty."

Liberty exists on our money and in a Statue. Both dead things, one with the power over people's livelihood and necessities of life. One with the power to inspire dreams. Go figure.

True liberty is a "walking shadow" (Will Shakespeare) in the "land of the free."

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #22 posted by OverwhelmSam on May 14, 2007 at 05:31:05 PT
Initiatives With Wings
A libel and slander class action suit against the government and Drug Free America, and all others.

Libel : a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression.

As the government is fond of calling us diseased lazy stupid idiots in commercials, print and pubic statements, a class action suit is warranted.

Remember, pot makes you swallow your hand and shoot your best friend. If that's not misrepresentation, I don't know what is.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #21 posted by FoM on May 13, 2007 at 20:40:11 PT
Dankhank
It was good. The one thing that is so true is that what the Hippies did is still alive and well today. Computers were created and the Internet was born out of the Hippie Movement. The downfall was when hard drugs like Heroin or Speed entered the picture.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #20 posted by Dankhank on May 13, 2007 at 20:19:30 PT
Hippies
It's running again 11pm CDT on history channel ...

anybody see it yet?

How is it ...?

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #19 posted by FoM on May 13, 2007 at 15:42:46 PT
Friendly Reminder: Hippies on The History Channel
Schedule:

Sunday, May 13 -- 08:00 PM

Monday, May 14 -- 12:00 AM

Saturday, May 26 -- 05:00 PM

Running Time: 120 minutes

The Hippie movement was the most controversial and influential of modern times. Free love, the peace movement, drugs, Eastern religions and communes are explored. Meet the figures whose words and actions inspired it and destroyed it. See how the vibrations from that era are still resonating today in almost every aspect of American life, from the clothes we wear, to the Personal Computer and the Internet. Finally, historic footage, stills and period graphics are interwoven with expert commentary and eyewitness testimony.

Rating: TVPG

http://www.history.com/shows.do?action=detail&episodeId=221518

http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22941.shtml#99

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #18 posted by FoM on May 13, 2007 at 15:35:18 PT
Dankhank
I think that term limits would help.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #17 posted by Dankhank on May 13, 2007 at 14:25:05 PT
a succinct reason ...
why term limits should apply to all political offices.



[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #16 posted by FoM on May 13, 2007 at 09:45:43 PT
About Power and Corruption
I thought this was interesting. It's titled Power Corrupts.

http://www.fff.org/freedom/0897f.asp

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #15 posted by FoM on May 13, 2007 at 09:04:46 PT
museman
Once again I understand what you are saying.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #14 posted by dankhank on May 13, 2007 at 09:01:36 PT
power
in the final analysis, it is always about the exercise of power.

I agree ...

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #13 posted by museman on May 13, 2007 at 08:56:29 PT
if the shoe were to fit
"It's illegal. You don't want it in the hands of the wrong people."

Legally speaking, there is a much greater and risky situation of abuse going on. It's called, 'abuse of power.'

Power if used incorrectly can result in multiple fatalities ranging from enforcement agencies to armies, from war to war. Death and suffering of millions. Children who end up lost in a cold calculating system of checks and balances. People who live their entire lives without a glimmer of joy, because the power to posess it (joy)is being abused and held exclusively by the 'special'few.

Abuse of power is illegal. The fact that those who wield that power do it without any concern for any consequences except theirs, and their fellow power users status, position, and payment, ought to be a defined condition in our constitution. If the 'supreme court' was a true representative of the True Law, which is based on the First Premise; "The Existence and Imminence of 'God'", then the immoral actions of the political elite would have been condemned for the violation that they are.

Not 'putting power in the hands of the wrong people' should be the responsiibility of the people, in a people-run state, but if the people cannot understand that, it is not the right and responsibility of the 'leaders' to do it for them, it is their responsibility to teach the people how to do it for themselves.

dongenero asks "Why vote stupid people into office?"

Unfortunately I think there are too many answers to that seemingly rhetorical question.

The controls that are pressed down upon us are all compromises between right, and wrong. It is right that the people have the freedom to decide and control their own destiny, it is wrong that our leaders have the power to veto our liberty. The compromise is material reward for service to the beast-which is materialism.

Power corrupts, and the more the power, the more the corruption. I smoke cannabis, but no one has died or suffered because of it, they have only suffered and died because of the abuses of power that are revealed around this unique gift of God.

When a lie can drown the truth, it can only mean that there are more liars than honest people in positions of power. Simple logic that seems to escape most americans, if not most of humanity.

Why put power into the wrong hands? Because folks, contrary to the lipservice belief in our 'constitutional rights' and all the hoopla about 'democracy and freedom', the power has been in the wrong hands from the beginning, which is probably why the constitution is ambiguous on people's rights to begin with, after all it was written by the rich land owning secrety society members of the day.

Time for a change. Time to get power to the people. Time to say no to thugs and their elite bosses. Time to establish and ratify a true "Government of the people, and by the people" before there is nothing left but rubble.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #12 posted by Hope on May 13, 2007 at 08:42:44 PT
RayGreen, my brother,
I hope you can join BGreen and others in forgiving my inability to call anyone "reverend". It's a hangup I have.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #11 posted by Hope on May 12, 2007 at 17:01:30 PT
I'm deeply troubled at what he can swallow whole.
"I was deeply troubled when I learned of another recent study which found that nearly one-third of all eighth graders had tried marijuana. As the father of two daughters, it greatly disturbs me that children are exposed to drugs at such a young age. I am concerned that legalization of this drug will only increase the number of children who gain access to its harmful effects."

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #10 posted by Hope on May 12, 2007 at 16:57:49 PT
Sadly, I must admit, Sen. Harkin may be right.
These are heinous and true statistics.

http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/08/17/drugWarVictims.html

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #9 posted by Hope on May 12, 2007 at 16:54:38 PT
Bro. RayGreen
I can't believe he's saying those things.'

My Word. Is the man not lying, or deceived, or delusional, or all?

"As this statistic indicates, marijuana use often has fatal consequences."

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #8 posted by FoM on May 12, 2007 at 16:32:57 PT
RevRayGreen
I checked his bio and he was born in 39. I really believe that he would have missed the 60s because he was a bit too old when it was all happening. I've noticed that very few people that were born before that time ( 60s revolution ) understand that marijuana is not like other illegal drugs. They put cocaine etc. in the same category. They don't get it.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #7 posted by RevRayGreen on May 12, 2007 at 16:04:46 PT
I feel sick when I hear a measure
fails in the legislature or the ballot box, check out this Iowa Senators recent "Reefer Madness Part Duex" when replying to a constituent.

courtesy of www.iowanorml.org

From United States Senator Tom Harkin - Tuesday, May 1, 2007 May 1, 2007 Mr. Thomas O'Connor MBA

Dear Thomas:

Thank you for contacting me. I am always glad to hear from you.

I do not believe the answer in solving this country's problem of drug abuse and the violence associated with drug trafficking is to make drugs legal. I have seen too much of the ill effects of these illegal drugs on our nation's young people, as well as this country's law enforcement officers, to believe the solution is to make these drugs more readily available by legalizing them.

Marijuana is often the drug singled out for legalization. However, marijuana is not the recreational drug that many believe it to be.

In a study completed by the Drug Abuse Warning Network, the number of marijuana related emergencies has nearly reached the level of cocaine related emergencies. As this statistic indicates, marijuana use often has fatal consequences.

I was deeply troubled when I learned of another recent study which found that nearly one-third of all eighth graders had tried marijuana. As the father of two daughters, it greatly disturbs me that children are exposed to drugs at such a young age. I am concerned that legalization of this drug will only increase the number of children who gain access to its harmful effects.

The victims of the drug war are many - the small child whose parents are so addicted to illegal drugs that they sell everything including perhaps their own children to obtain a fix; the innocent bystander killed during the crime spree of a drugged-out individual shooting randomly with an Uzi on a public street; the police officer's family which must now learn to cope with the loss of their loved one as a result of a violent drug bust gone awry. These are the people I think of when I say that drugs pose the number one threat to the security of this nation.

In addition to helping to double federal funds for Iowa's anti-drug programs, I am an active supporter of the Smoother Sailing Programs in the Des Moines public schools. This program is designed to help children cope with the violence, confusion and trauma associated with the abuse of drugs in our society.

Legalizing drugs is equivalent to declaring surrender in the war on drugs. However we may differ in tactics, I am hopeful that we can work together to fight drugs in our communities and to make Iowa drug free.

Again, thanks for sharing your views with me. Please don't hesitate to let me know how you feel on any issue that concerns you.

Sincerely, Tom Harkin United States Senator

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #6 posted by Hope on May 12, 2007 at 08:23:17 PT
"The star site Cannabis News"
Ta-Dum! Ta-Dum!

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #5 posted by Hope on May 12, 2007 at 08:20:27 PT
Comment 3
I love it!

Beam me up!

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #4 posted by FoM on May 12, 2007 at 07:20:57 PT
OverwhelmSam
Congress the final frontier. I like that!

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #3 posted by OverwhelmSam on May 12, 2007 at 06:48:31 PT
We Don't Have To Fight the Courts
Congress, the final frontier. These are the initiatives of the star site Cannabis News. To seek new ideas, make allies with the public, to boldly fire congressional representatives like no group has done before...

Swish, da, da.....da, da, da, da, da, Swish.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #2 posted by mayan on May 11, 2007 at 17:29:20 PT
Soft On Compassion
Sen. Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete, who voted "present," said she thinks there are better alternatives.

"My concerns are the abuses. I would have loved to have helped people out, but there's got to be a medication out there that can help," she said. "It's illegal. You don't want it in the hands of the wrong people."

I'm surprised that this lady has the intelligence to dress herself in the morning. I don't buy her lame excuses. She's simply soft on compassion.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #1 posted by dongenero on May 11, 2007 at 13:25:02 PT
why vote stupid people into office
Okay, that headline may be generalizing but let's compare and contrast two statements, one by a yea one by a nay. You tell me which one seems reasoned and thoughtful............

"I don't think sick people should be treated like criminals. If a doctor believes that medical marijuana is more useful, less toxic and less expensive than a traditional, man-made medicine, than we ought to take a long, hard look at moving in that direction," he said.

and the nay.................

"My concerns are the abuses. I would have loved to have helped people out, but there's got to be a medication out there that can help," she said. "It's illegal. You don't want it in the hands of the wrong people."

Honestly people....the argument is; "it's illegal"...huh?, that's what we're trying to change here ma'am! "the abuses".......um, no abuse of the pharmaceuticals, is there? "there's got to be a medication out there that can help"......ding,ding,ding,ding!!!Righto Senator Halvorson, there is a medication, it's called cannabis!

[ Post Comment ]


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