Illinois

News

It's a new year and, for Illinois, a new era of recreational marijuana. Weed dispensaries across the state opened their doors before sunrise Wednesday, welcoming long lines of customers - some who had been waiting since 4 a.m.

Illinois started off the new decade by embarking into the world of recreational marijuana, where people can buy the intoxicating plant legally and without a prescription.

CHICAGO - The sale of marijuana for recreational purposes became legal Wednesday in Illinois to the delight of pot fans - many who began lining up hours early at dispensaries.

The medical marijuana program in Illinois is seeing record growth since changes in the law greatly expanded the program and made it easier for patients to participate.

Letters

I am writing to you in regard to the article "New pitch made for alcohol, drug treatment center near Campton Hills."

Recent data from the CDC noted over 25,000 deaths in 2015 from prescription opiate overdose with an estimated 1.9 million people dependent on these medications. CDC Director Thomas Frieden said "we know of no other medication routinely used for nonfatal conditions that kills patients so frequently."

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control noted over 25,000 deaths in 2015 from prescription opiate overdose with an estimated 1.9 million people dependent on these medications. CDC director Thomas Frieden said, "We know of no other medication routinely used for nonfatal conditions that kills patients so frequently." And despite research showing that the higher the dose of an opioid the greater the risk of overdose and death, an investigation reveals that the opiate manufacturers urged doctors to prescribe stronger doses.

The Chicago Sun- Times editorial ["Law needs to rein in government seizures," April 19] supporting the reform of Illinois and federal forfeiture laws regarding drugs and suspected drug proceeds was spot- on correct, and former administrator of the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration Peter Bensinger's contrary opinion was dead wrong. ["Seize cartel assets best way to beat them," letter to the editor, April 22].

As a Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor, I see first-hand how the number of drug overdoses from abusing opioid pain medications is at epidemic levels.

To the Editor: I am glad that The Southern gave a "thumbs up" to the cannabis decriminalization bill being reintroduced in Springfield. How long until we end another failed prohibition completely? Keeping a plant illegal seems silly when there are plenty of other crimes that go unsolved every year. However it is easier for police to catch some college kids getting high than it is for them to solve a cold case murder or a rape.

Whether or not re-legalizing cannabis will help Illinois' economy - which it most certainly will - is the wrong reason to end cannabis prohibition ("Make Cannabis Legal To Revitalize Illinois Economy, Dec. 29, 2015").

The article, "Few Q-C residents OK'd for medical marijuana," highlights how health care organizations are prohibiting physicians from participating in the medical cannabis program and draws attention to a disturbing trend putting politics before patients.

Opinions

Legalizing marijuana makes sense for a lot of reasons, but there's one valuable thing we'll lose when police stop arresting people for smoking pot: A sense of just how misleading our crime data are.

Historically opioid medications were used cautiously by physicians for selected patients to reduce pain associated with acute injury or illness, and for those suffering from life-threatening diseases such as cancer.

There's a lot of truth-bending in political campaigns. Remember then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's false assertion in 2015 that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrated the 9/11 attacks? Or how about Hillary Clinton's tall tale in her 2008 campaign that on a trip to Bosnia, "I remember landing under sniper fire. aE& We just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." That, too, didn't happen.

On Wednesday, the Illinois Senate Executive Committee overwhelmingly passed SB336, a bill that would allow people with opioid prescriptions to apply for a medical marijuana card, with only Minority Leader Bill Brady, a Republican from Bloomington, voting no in a 16-1 decisive passing.

Links

The Drug Policy Forum of Illinois is a statewide network dedicated to drug policy reform. We inform public opinion and promote balanced media coverage. This web site has been provided by DrugSense and is used in conjunction with the DPFIL email list.

Illinois NORML is a not-for-profit corporation working to reform marijuana laws. Our board of directors and members donate their time and we rely on donations from concerned individuals like yourself. We focus on medical marijuana, the recreational uses of marijuana, and industrial hemp.

Papers