Governor Quinn Still Needs to Sign Medical Marijuana Bill

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn addressed the issue of medical marijuana and the pending bill, sympathizing with with the situation of veterans who will benefit from House Bill 1.

“It’s an important bill,” said Governor Quinn. “I’m going to look at the bill from top to bottom, as we do every bill. But I’m very open minded on this.”

House Bill 1 was sent to the Governor’s desk on June 5, since then, Quinn has remained quite and House Bill 1 remains unsigned.

By August 4, the bill needs to be signed because on August 5, 2013, Illinois will become the 19th medical marijuana state.

The four-year pilot program outlined in Illinois’ House Bill 1 would allow Illinois residents suffering from specific medical conditions such as cancer, HIV, AIDS, or multiple sclerosis to use medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. Qualifying patients would have to be diagnosed with one of 33 debilitating medical conditions.

Qualifying patients in Illinois would be able to obtain medical marijuana from one of 60 dispensaries. The Illinois Department of Agriculture, Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, and Department of Health will regulate the cultivation, procurement, and distribution of medical marijuana.

Patients will be limited to 2.5 ounces of medical marijuana every two weeks. Anyone who is a part of the medical marijuana industry in Illinois will be fingerprinted and undergo a background check during the application process.