illinois is making history today
 

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.

</soapbox>

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

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...:rolleyes:

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. :)

[IMG]http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...3_1007copy.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...3_1073copy.jpg[/IMG]

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

Video
 

I wont post anymore since it's old news now. :D 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? :D :hug:

:D We still have to do trailer bills to improve this one over the four years. But we'll come testify for your state! :)

Hey, maybe they joy and legality will leak over into Indiana. Maybe?????

Jim's speech was right on...they both worked their behinds off to help get this passed.
For once I saw Illinois lawmakers work for their constituents. Yay!!:D

Here in WA (MMJ legalized in 1998) we are fighting the battle of our lives against the recent "legalization" (I-502) of recreational marijuana. The issues are over taxes, possession limits (much lower than mmj limits), who can and can not grow, etc. When you hear that WA State has legalized marijuana, don't buy it for a minute! We just voted a few years ago to privatize liquor sales (now available 24/7 everywhere!) but the Liquor Control Board has sway over marijuana?!!! WA is trying to act like it is legal, but they don't seem to know what they are doing. I am supporting the medical community battle to keep our meds as a separate issue.

First they think MMJ is getting an unfair advantage because it is not subject to the exorbitant taxes they hope to slap on recreational users. Medicine would be priced way out of most mmj patients' reach if they have their way.

Next, they want to shut down our medical dispensaries/cooperatives and make medical patients buy form the state licensed dealers. Hello! Marijuana is still banned Federally . . . this won't last! And I do not want to stand in line with a bunch of stoners to buy my medicine.

And they want to control who grows, meaning many medical growers will be unable to continue under the fees and taxes. Patients will suffer. They also want to control the THC content.

So if your state legalizes medical marijuana, get to know how that law works and protect it with your life! Also, heads up . . . . your state may deemed you DUI if you use medical marijuana, even if it is not every day. Be smart . . . be aware . . . do your research.



And congrats to Illinois for entering the 21st Century! Yay!

I celebrate all that has been accomplished and encourage everyone to keep up this much needed drive. Hopefully the individual states will eventually come to some sort of agreement with the federal government so that easy access throughout the USA is attained. It is long overdue.

Although a high percentage of medical users in Canada still grow their own or purchase it directly from local growers or on the street, here’s how MMJ is set up to access it legally in Canada.

For those with MS and a number of other conditions (scroll down to check out the list: http://www.cannabisdispensary.ca/about/), all that is needed to get on the registry so that one can access it is to have a confirmation of the MS diagnosis, faxed from the office of the patient’s MD, Naturopath or Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor (TCM) to the dispensary.

Once registered, patients can pick it up in person from a number of dispensaries throughout the country or can access it by mail order with delivery to anywhere in Canada.

Here's the site of one of the dispensaries:
Welcome! | The Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary
http://www.cannabisdispensary.ca/

There is a push to get production out of the hands of private growers into the hands of corporate interests…but that hasn’t happened and it isn’t likely to because the price of the product keeps dropping due to an over abundant supply from the licenced private growers, who in turn continue to sell it on the street.

Medical marijuana lets B.C. growers earn thousands on streets - British Columbia - CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...arijuana-.html

The bureaucrats have basically legislated it to such a degree for potential large commercial producers to set up operations that the profit margin would be too low to make it a viable investment for them :D.

With love, Erika

Erika, the amount of cannabis each patient is allowed under Illinois' law is 2 oz every 2 weeks, which seems a lot but many patients bake with it or make butter; one needs a larger amount than if one inhales it, I've been told.

Some who opposed the bill felt that 2 oz was way too much, and that we as patients would sell off what we don't use...fat chance of that happening.

I have heard grumbles that the cultivators won't be able to keep up with demand, considering how many ill customers will probably sign up for the program.

You state that growers up your way have an overproduction...hmm. An interesting bit of info I need to tuck into my hat when this program pushes on to implementation.

I do fear that corporations will get into the act and make inferior products. We'll see...if there's a profit to be made, there's always shady ways to make the most, I guess...

Thanks for your input-all info is helpful!1

I don't know of such restrictions on the amount of MMJ that a person can purchase or be in possesion of here. In Canada, it seems that the limit is set by what ever the patient's prescription stipulates and if none is stipulated, it seems to be up to the patient and the dispensary to arrive at an amount.

For example, a B.C. resident has received a Health Canada licence to possess 60 grams of marijuana for daily medical use, allowing him to legally grow as many as 292 marijuana plants. He doesn't smoke it, but makes medicinal products from it.

http://www.canadianmedicinalmarijuana.com/?p=226


More info on medical marijuanna in Canada:

The Canadian Federal Gov't will implement a program in the spring of 2014 that restricts such grow ops to commercial enterprises. Word is that the current legal operators will be able to obtain that designation fairly easily via permits and licensing.
The reason for the change? The feds want their share and will try to get it through inspection fees, licensing and taxation. It is unlikely to affect the price as more growers will likely climb on board under the new program and that will further saturate the market.

The following recent news article highlights a community that is a suburb of Vancouver, B.C. (West coast), with a population of around 100,000. Like many such suburban communities, it has around 600 legal medical marijuanna grow ops (and probably an equal number of illegal ones).

Complaints about medical marijuana grow ops:

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/BC/ID/2401933471/

After it is all said and done, there is apparently so much marijuanna growing (both licenced and unlicenced) going on that the emphasis in enforcement of regulations and subsequent prosecutions has mostly shifted to illegal street marketers.
Even then, convictions usually result in minimal sentences (if any) and a fine; which is essentially seen as the cost of doing business. Hardly a deterent.

The police tend to not get involved with anyone who has a licence to grow, transport or possess because the Crown Prosecutors (your equivelent to the DA), balk at bringing such cases into the court system unless a very large, blatant offence has taken place. In those cases, basically the grower looses their licence to grow, may face a bit of jail time and the usually imposed fine.

So how available is marijuanna here? I live in a small rural town with a population of around 24,000. A short stop into any coffee shop, will get me into contact with a supplier in minutes and the stuff in my hand a few minutes after that...all under the nose and observation of the police, who would likely also be in the coffee shop. They truly aren't interested in small amounts exchanging hands and prefer to go after the bigger fish...which they do.

Our community's most recent drug bust in July netted over 500 plants from a sophisticated under the ground grow op, cash, guns and stolen property. That was over a month ago and those charged with various related offences were released with a promise to appear in court some time in October.
It's all a gaff :D.

With love, Erika

I did read a little about the WA "legal" pot. The fact one can't grow on their own is dumb. Here in CA one can grow a couple plants without a MMJ card and still be legal (like in Berkeley). Most cities limit it at 6 mature plants, some many more. I have a couple plants out in my garden right now (although they're just clones so they won't get big at all). How can it be legal to smoke it, but still illegal to grow or buy it?

2 oz is a lot, but if somebody was in a ton of pain, I could see it. I go through 1/4 oz a week, at least, and that's with me working full time (I don't smoke before or during work). We also have really good stuff out here in CA, so if it was of lesser quality, I'd have to use more. I don't know how much is needed to make butter, we always get it pre-made.

Oh, and the cost! The clubs are still about twice as much as what I can get from my "guy". I can see why WA is having an issue with taxes and whatnot. I can't wait for them to figure this out. Make it cheaper for everybody. Make it the same cost as a prescription!!!

Oh, for heaven's sake! One ginat step nowhere...
Looks like you folks still have a long ways to go :(.
Seriously hoping that this sort of ignorance will be overcome quickly. Keep up the fight...it took a while for us to get what we got up here too...and we're still pressing for more ease to access.

No change in marijuana laws coming, White House says http://<br /> <br /> http://politi...te-house-says/

With love, Erika

What do you expect from our neanderthal, House of Reps.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Sal,I thought it was the White House that proclaimed no change in MJ status...ironic, coming from the head guy who loved his inhalations when young;)

I doubt that Debbie? I've never heard him say a word against
med MJ, myself?? :)

Edited to add... http://www.politico.com/politico44/2...na-121598.html

He did kind of turn a blind eye to our problem though.

Yup...it is actually Obama that is denying federal approval of MMJ; mostly through actively blocking the bills that would help the cause.

Interesting actions from one who "self medicates" with tobacco and has done so in the past with pot :winky:.

With love, Erika

...As opposed to the son of one of our former Prime Ministers, who is now a Member of Parliament (MP) and is in the running for becoming the next Prime Minister of Canada.

The comments below the article give a good example of public opinion on the subject...few think it wrong and the majority in fact support the legalization of it.

Justin Trudeau smoked pot since becoming MP

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stor...gton-post.html

With love, Erika

I truly believe that as our Boomer generation ages and sees the increasing benefits of cannabis, philosophical arguments against it's use will decline. But until it's taken off of the Schedule 1 list, no research will be done on it's benefits in the USA...