Illinois State Senate Approves Medical Marijuana Use – And It Looks Like The Did It the Right Way

The Wrong Way – A Backdoor to Legalization

America needs to be using less drugs, not more.  The American public’s demand for illegal narcotics has nearly destroyed law and order in Mexico.  And many states are using a legitimate use of marijuana as a way to legalize the drug.  But Illinois may show that the benefits of medical marijuana can be made available to those who need it, without providing easy access to the rest of the public.

Illinois state Sen. William Haine is congratulated after his bill to legalize medical marijuana passes through the Senate. (Seth Perlman / Associated Press / May 17, 2013)

If it becomes law, the Illinois bill will prohibit patients from growing their own pot; instead, plants will be raised at “grow centers” overseen by authorities and the state Department of Agriculture.

Only doctors that have established relationships with patients will be able to dispense the drug to help with pain or side effects associated with treating serious illnesses, such as AIDS or cancer.

“It can’t be consumed in public. It can’t be displayed in public,” Haine said.

The bill would allow medical marijuana use for just four years, essentially creating a pilot program on the drug's use. If it’s not renewed by the state’s General Assembly, the medical pot effort will die.

This sounds reasonable.  And the opposition to widespread use here is not based on a nanny state goal.  It is based on driving.  Alcohol and electronic device usage are major killers and maimers on American roads.  The U. S. does not need thousands of vehicle deaths and injuries from legalized drug use.