[420 Girl]

The fight is not over for supporters of the medical cannabis bill in Illinois. Sponsors had hoped to vote on House Bill 2514 by May 7th 2010. Because Illinois legislators are busy with the state budget crisis, the vote for the medical cannabis bill will be May 28th.

Representative Louis Lang, the sponsor of HB 2514, has stated in recent weeks that he has secured all but three of the votes needed to pass the bill. If passed, the bill would go to Governor Pat Quinn's desk.Quinn has said that if the bill should reach him, he "would seriously consider it". The bill would allow patients with debilitating illnesses to receive an identification card, allowing them to possess a determined amount of cannabis.

On Saturday May 8th, hundreds of medical marijuana supporters gathered at Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago. The planned event featured several musicians and artists, marches were held throughout the day. Neither the poor weather, or the delay of the Illinois marijuana legislation, discouraged the crowd. Many people were happy to have three more weeks to spread the word.

Director of the Illinois chapter of NORM'L, Dan Linn addressed the crowd urging people to become more active in the movement to legalize marijuana, stating "this is something we need to be working on 365 days a year. Whether you are for it or against it, you should call your local elected officials and let them know your opinion."

Many protesters of marijuana laws brought up the point that "if marijuana was legalized and taxed, it would generate income for struggling states, and reduce the amount of money needed to house prisoners."

Supporters for the legalization of marijuana stress the facts that there are no documented deaths attributed to marijuana overdose. Tobacco and alcohol remain the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and marijuana has been proven to be a safe alternative to habit forming pain medications.


News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Examiner.com
Author: Chris Weber
Copyright: 2009 Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Illinois marijuana bill gets three more weeks - Hundreds march in downtown Chicago

• Thanks to ChicagoJoe for submitting this article


http://www.420magazine.com/forums/in...n-chicago.html