Thanks mainly to courageous people like Sandy and Jim Champion, Illinois' governor is signing the nation's strictest medical cannabis act into law today. Finally patients will be able to purchase the right kind of cannabis for their symptom management.

Blessings to all who worked so hard to get this bill passed

That's fantastic! Now if the federal government and the state government would speed up their collaboration on this important issue...

Just an FYI, because I live in CA we've had this law for over a decade. When I went to see a pain doc she would NOT prescribe an opiate because I smoke pot claiming she's following Federal regulations. I have the option of keep smoking, or stop and go on horrible opiates that'll kill my liver or kidneys. She ended up giving me some creams and the option of a neurostimulator if it gets bad. Her office did do drug testing. I remember quite a few years ago going to a different doc who did not test.

I will not give this up, it helps with SOOOO much. I got off work yesterday, got out in the heat and immediately got nauseous. Went home and smoked, it helped so much I was able to make enchiladas! (and now I realize I left them at home for today's lunch) Otherwise I probably would have sat on the couch all nigh feeling like I was going to puke. It helps my aching pain. It helps my migraines. It helps me get my butt up and moving when I need to do something that involves movement. It helps me get through that end of day pain and it'll allow me to fall asleep.

But I also live in an area that nobody cares if one smokes and it grows well.

The federal govt really needs to make this legal for at least medical use throughout the country. The laws right now inhibit proper healing since one can't take a single opiate on a horrible pain breakthrough day.

Seriously, why does the govt want everybody in pain to take meds that'll damage them? Pot doesn't do this. It's never killed anybody, you can't OD (you just fall asleep and after eating all the cookies). One can use a vaporizer and have no or little smoke. You can eat it, put it in tinctures (although yuck, I tried it), etc. The addiction is only a psycological one, not a phsycial one. So if you smoke every day, and don't for a few, you will not go through withdrawals like the ugly opiates.

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Come on Ohio, get with the program!!!
Ya bunch o hicks..

And Obama's DEA has been raiding dispensaries and now growers in CA...kind of ironic, since he was a major inhaler back in his teens. Some growers won't go into the program due 1)the prohibitive cost for the license and set up and 2)worries that the feds will raid and put them in prison.

The pharma industry is one HUGE reason that the feds won't take cannabis off of the Schedule 1 list, let alone legalize it for any reason. Many politicians are in the pockets of big pharma, as well as the police, who wouldn't have as much to do if cannabis was legalized, IMO.

When I was in Hawaii this year, I was told by a resident that 99% of the people there "take a break" every day. When I told her of the difficulties in passing this bill in Illinois, I was given a quizzical look, and asked, "Why? It isn't addictive, and no one has OD'd on it."

So, now the game begins...who is on the inside to get the cultivators' license will be the big reward...lots of start up costs, but lots of $$ to be made.

Seriously, we allow cigarettes, the most addictive substance in the brain besides heroin, to be legal; it kills more people and costs our nation so much in health care costs yearly. But tobacco's been one of the biggest lobbying groups in DC. So hmmm...

Thank you so much Debbie and everyone!! Whooohooooo!! It was a grand day. I only wish Debbie could have joined us but she had other stuff going on.

Here's two pics of us. One with Governor Quinn handing Jim his pen and one with Governor Quinn, sponsor Lou Lang and others with the signed bill.

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love those photos, Sandy!! You are both my Champions

I wont post anymore since it's old news now. But to hear Jim on this video will help anyone understand why this was so important to us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3i1Q...ature=youtu.be

"Quality of life should not be just for those who are well".......Lou Lang sounds like a really good guy. You're fortunate to have him working for you.

Thanks for the video Sandy. Jim was great and so are you.
What are you going to do with yourself, now that you've won
your long battle? Wouldn't consider moving to Ohio, would
you?