Illinois Lt. Governor Supporting Medical Marijuana

Illinois Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon stated she is in favor of the bill allowing the medical use of marijuana. She explained that testimony from seriously ill veterans and other patients helped her change her mind about medical marijuana.

“As a former prosecutor my first reaction was, ‘I’m not interested in changing our laws on medical marijuana,'” she told The Associated Press. But after hearing from patients and reading further into the bill, she is convinced the the regulations are strict enough for Illinois to implement medical marijuana.

Other supporters of medical marijuana in Illinois have also agreed with Lt. Gov. Simon’s viewpoint.

The Illinois medical marijuana bill has cleared the Illinois House and awaits a Senate vote.

The medical marijuana proposal creates a framework for a pilot program that includes requiring patients and caregivers to undergo extensive background checks and will set a 2.5 ounce limit of medical marijuana per patient per purchase from state regulated dispensaries.