Medical marijuana fails to pass House

SPRINGFIELD — Brian Mueller has tried a plethora of medication to find relief from the painful condition that leads him to occasionally lose 30 to 40 pounds at a time.

The 34-year-old Wauconda man suffers from ulcerative colitis, which is similar to Crohn's disease. But after all the medication, Mueller has found that one drug he can't legally have is the most effective — marijuana.

“I went through the gamut of all the pills and suppositories,” he said.

But on Thursday, House lawmakers rejected a plan to authorize the use of medical marijuana for some Illinoisans.

The idea has been around Springfield for years, and recent support from House Republican Leader Tom Cross appeared to give the issue momentum. But a majority of lawmakers disagreed, voting 53-60 against the plan.

Cross, of Oswego, said he struggled to support the legislation but believed there was no other treatment for those who truly need it.

“I started asking myself ‘Why can't we in this year, in this state, find relief for people going through their darkest days?'” Cross said. “Shouldn't we able to provide for them the best relief at the best available source to do that? Why would we say no to that?”

The legislation would have allowed patients suffering from only 19 specific diseases to be prescribed medical marijuana from their doctors. It would have also been a three-year trial period and allowed employers and landlords to prohibit use.

Some lawmakers argued the state shouldn't approve marijuana use for a simple reason: Cannabis is a federally banned substance.

Rep. Patricia Bellock, a Hinsdale Republican, said marijuana use continues to grow among young people and the best way to fight that is to follow the federal government's stance against legalizing it for medical use.

“This bill supersedes the federal law of the United States of America,” she said.

Some suburban sheriffs opposed the measure because more access means the possibility the drug ends up in the wrong hands increases.

Mundelein Police Chief Ray Rose said if marijuana is a viable treatment, it needs to be delivered in a more regulated process than what the measure proposes.

“There is just no way this doesn't put our communities at risk,” he said. “Could you imagine if a doctor just said take as many OxyContin pills as you want? We're pretty much saying smoke until you feel better.”

While the measure failed this time, and has in the past, the issue could come up again this year. And if it does, some lawmakers could reconsider.

Rep. Carol Sente, a Vernon Hills Democrat who voted “no,” said while she probably wouldn't change her mind, she is willing to listen to new arguments.

“Someone who really needs it ... it pulls on your heart strings and makes you want to consider it,” Sente said. “This is a position I would say I'm not entirely closed on. ... But I need to hear how my constituents respond to new information.”