cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Pilot Gets OK From State Senate

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  Medical Marijuana Pilot Gets OK From State Senate

Posted by CN Staff on May 27, 2009 at 20:12:30 PT
By Monique Garcia and Rick Pearson 
Source: Chicago Tribune 

Springfield -- The Illinois Senate narrowly approved a bill Wednesday that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to treat seriously ill patients, though the proposal faces an uncertain future in the House as lawmakers scramble to meet their end-of-month deadline.The 30-28 Senate vote split largely along partisan lines. Supporters said it marked the furthest the idea has gotten after several defeats.
Republican Sen. Dale Righter of Charleston argued the proposal was lax and wouldn't require criminal background checks for people who handle or grow marijuana. Sponsoring Sen. William Haine (D-Alton) said there was enough oversight to prevent abuse."It is not intended to be a stealth legalization," said Haine, a former prosecutor from Madison County, near St. Louis.The program would last three years unless lawmakers renew it. Patients would be issued registry identification cards by the Illinois Department of Public Health. They would be limited to possessing six cannabis plants during a 60-day period, of which no more than three could be mature. Qualifying ailments include glaucoma, cancer, AIDS and Alzheimer's disease.Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) said both of his parents suffered from pain for which pharmaceuticals offered no relief."We can make this a political issue, but this is about compassion," Raoul said. "This is truly about compassion and about people who are suffering from chronic disease and have no alternatives."Sen. Mike Jacobs (D-East Moline) asserted that for some, marijuana would be a cheaper and healthier way to treat serious disease."Do you find it at all interesting that people view drugs made by man as better than drugs made by God?" Jacobs said during debate. "This is something that someone can drop in their backyard and find relief from, and there's some of us in this chamber that would prefer Oxycontin, morphine; would prefer mommy's little helper, uppers, downers, all-arounders."Meanwhile, House lawmakers on Wednesday were poised to vote on Gov. Pat Quinn's plan to raise the income tax rate to pay down the massive budget deficit, but a spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) said Quinn requested that the vote be put off.An administration source said Quinn spent the last several days meeting with individual lawmakers to find enough votes. Republicans in the House and Senate said there's no support to raise taxes among their members, and suggested Democrats in charge need to find a way to clean up their own mess.Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)Author: Monique Garcia and Rick Pearson, Tribune Reporters Published: May 28, 2009Copyright: 2009 Chicago Tribune CompanyContact: ctc-TribLetter Tribune.comURL: http://drugsense.org/url/Iyi5evp7Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/Related Article:MMJ Legislation Narrowly Passes Illinois Senatehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24833.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml

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Comment #43 posted by Todd on June 02, 2009 at 15:31:32 PT:
ColoradoMedical Marijuana
In Colorado We can have 6 plants per patient. Three plants can be flowering and three must be in vegatative state. However, a doctor can write a not explaining that some patients might require more medicine than what 6 plants would yield to allieviate the symptoms of the medical condition.
Medical Marijuana in Colorado
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Comment #42 posted by greenmed on June 02, 2009 at 14:30:07 PT
Hope
That image is very sweet. Thank you for posting it.
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Comment #41 posted by Hope on June 01, 2009 at 11:23:31 PT
Greenmed
I loved your "Nut" story. There's a children's book waiting to be written about Nut.Other creatures can learn the mechanics of pet doors, I have no doubt. http://archive.coasttocoastam.com/gen/page2727.html?theme=light
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on June 01, 2009 at 06:30:30 PT
greenmed 
I love your story. So many people miss the simple joy of the wonder of nature.
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Comment #39 posted by greenmed on May 31, 2009 at 20:38:07 PT
FoM
Thanks for removing the link.It is good that you were able to save the groundhog - she would have been a-goner without your intervention. I would not be surprised at all that the groundhog brought her little ones specifically to show you... she probably considers you family now.Many years ago my sister found a squirrel that had fallen from its nest. Its eyes were not yet open. My sis had an after-school job at a veterinary clinic, so she got advice on how to raise the squirrel, which she did, and eventually released him in the back yard. He returned whenever my family was outside and would greet everybody in turn by sitting on their shoulder and pawing at their ears and hair. One day he returned with his new-found mate who paced back and forth nervously while "Nut" went about his usual greeting ceremony - I was there for that and he sat even on my shoulder, although he didn't know me. Then he went back to his mate and they both ran off and up into the tree canopy. That was the last time he came to visit - he had returned to the squirrel life.Critters can be loyal and certainly can appreciate and acknowledge kindness from us humans.
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Comment #38 posted by FoM on May 31, 2009 at 19:14:21 PT
greenmed
I removed the link for you. I looked at it and it was about hunting and it didn't bother me. I must admit I love sharing my space with critters. I saved a groundhog in my yard the other day from sure death. I heard my Rott and Husky type dogs barking and I saw they had something cornered and were getting ready to kill it. I ran out in my barefeet and yelled at them to stop but they were in a red zone and they didn't even listen at all. I walked closer and demanded the instigator, which is our husky type dog, to stop and come here. She turned and walked slowly to me but if I had lost my focus she would have turned around and the groundhog would be dead. When she got to me I praised her for coming to me. When she gave up my Rott gave up and the groundhog got thru the fence and into the woods. The next day I saw the groundhog grazing out my kitchen window and there were 4 baby groundogs with her. I think she was showing me her kids! LOL!
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Comment #37 posted by greenmed on May 31, 2009 at 17:52:34 PT

Hope
A few years ago, when I had cats as pets, I'd notice a possum eating the cat food... the cats were watching, and when I stepped outside to check it out, the possum just kept on eating and my cats looked at me as if to ask "well, are you going to do something?" Next day I installed a cat door to the porch, but would you believe it, the possum learned how to get through the door to the food. This guy was apparently smart, with a good sense of smell, and a total fearlessness of humans. I think he lived in a couple of acres of kudzu nearby (where I've also noticed groundhogs) and only came out at night. There's at least one who still comes around, just passing through - I just might offer it a cookie next time!
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Comment #36 posted by greenmed on May 31, 2009 at 17:48:04 PT

Hope and FoM
I am having second thoughts about including that link in #35. The story and especially the images have an unpleasant edge to them.FoM, would you please remove that post (#35) and this one, and I'll repost without the link. Thanks.My apologies who found the story offensive or disturbing. I believe there are ways to coexist with or diminish the predator population... contraceptive darts just before mating season, for example. Now that Bush has left the WH, that might be considered an acceptable solution.
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Comment #35 posted by greenmed on May 31, 2009 at 15:41:07 PT

Hope
A few years ago, when I had cats as pets, I'd notice a possum eating the cat food... the cats were watching, and when I stepped outside to check it out, the possum just kept on eating and my cats looked at me as if to ask "well, are you going to do something?" Next day I installed a cat door to the porch, but would you believe it, the possum learned how to get through the door to the food. This guy was apparently smart, with a good sense of smell, and a total fearlessness of humans. I think he lived in a couple of acres of kudzu nearby (where I've also noticed groundhogs) and only came out at night. There's at least one who still comes around, just passing through - I might offer it a cookie next time.For a city residential area we get a lot of wildlife, especially at night: the occasional family of deer skid along the road, and a coyote I caught a glimpse of at 3:00AM as it bounded up the road back to the more forested area on the outskirts -- apparently they are moving closer to the city.I'm not sure how I feel about that, except I know I wouldn't want any hunting of them... too much danger of dogs being killed by mistake.
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Comment #34 posted by Hope on May 31, 2009 at 08:58:51 PT

Greenmed Comment 30
They are strange creatures to me. My grandchildren had one as a pet when they lived in the Netherlands. It's fairly common to keep them as pets there, I believe.Cute, but kind of creepy at the same time. Those claws kind of look like trouble. They have cute faces... sort of possum like, but they don't look exactly cuddly. I've had a tamed, spoiled possum around here and a baby armadillo. Armadillo claws are pretty intimidating, too.Possums and armadillos like and appreciate attention from friendly humans... especially the food and treat department... but, whether they could get into it or not, they don't look cuddly. Full grown possums, which our not so little friend was, are large and have an awesome display of teeth and clawed "hands"... and beady little eyes that are hard to see their feelings in. We named our grown possum "Henry" after a possum in a children's book we've read for a couple of generations around here. When they wait at the back door and stand on their hind legs begging for cookies, which my grandchildren loved to oblige... and hang around and visit for several years, you know there's at least a friendly connection there. We found him with his head wedged in a trellis around the back porch once and, well armored in welding gloves, released him and he seemed to appreciate that very much after he escaped and calmed himself he came back around and discovered cookie solicitation was more profitable than getting into the garbage.We were sad when he stopped showing up after a few years.The hedgehogs are so small as to seem very fragile. I'd think a lot could happen to them if they were running loose in a home. Maybe you have to mostly keep them in cages like hamsters and gerbils. I've not asked my daughter much about her experience with them except that I know that the one they had seemed to have mysteriously disappeared. Escaped and not harmed, hopefully.About wild creatures learning to appreciate human benevolence, I first noted it in hummingbirds patrolling porches. They are obviously looking for feeders and in the last few years I've noticed wild birds, from time to time, fairly often, actually, and especially in the winter, peering through the windows at me like "Where's the grub, woman?" 
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on May 31, 2009 at 07:21:26 PT

OT: Just Good Mellow Music
I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. I can't find any news so far so I am listening to music. I would buy Yoriyos's music but I don't think it's available. I found the songs are playing on My Space. Enjoy!http://www.myspace.com/yoriyosmusic
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on May 31, 2009 at 05:57:43 PT

greenmed
I don't think the cave goes any further. We didn't go to the cave yesterday. What happens is some mostly young people go up to the top and there is a tiny stream and try to jump over it but it is wet and they slip and go over. Here's a picture from the top and it is deceptive but looks safe.http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ZasjXTYGcKQ/SHExN7tZ-iI/AAAAAAAAB0U/yqQu1sjFNLs/P1030463.jpg
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on May 31, 2009 at 05:36:05 PT

greenmed
It was a perfect day. We have a little 1985 50 HP Mercury motor and a 16 foot Starcraft Boat. My husband and a good friend worked hard on this motor and got it running like it was brand new again. I tried to take pictures but it was so bright most of the pictures look faded but I got one of the Canadian geese that looks ok. We live about 2 miles from the lake which is a State Park and beautifully maintained. The lake is about 11 miles long.http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/GeeseII.jpg
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Comment #30 posted by greenmed on May 30, 2009 at 22:08:34 PT

Hope
Those hedgehogs are some interesting little creatures - the expressions on their faces can be so ... strange -- especially the one chewing a berry. LOL!Even the newborns have a healthy set of quills... which I thought could be painful for the mother, but the Wikipedia entry assures that the "... spines normally come out when a hedgehog sheds baby spines and replaces them with adult spines."They are fascinating close up and though I'd never thought of them as pets, I can understand the appeal.
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Comment #29 posted by greenmed on May 30, 2009 at 21:45:18 PT

FoM
I hope you had a nice day at the lake. That cave looks interesting... does it go back far?It is sad that a young person fell and died. It does look a little mossy where the light shines and that can be slick. I'm glad you stay safely on the trail.
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Comment #28 posted by Hope on May 30, 2009 at 16:48:33 PT

OT Video
Hello, Hedgehog!.... picked it up at yahoo and it goes to a pet food site. It's about hedgehogs as pets and other pet stuff with music. Freaky, funny little critters. http://video.yahoo.com/network/100000086?v=5121416&l=100000085
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on May 30, 2009 at 05:41:54 PT

greenmed 
I'm glad you liked the videos. I hope you and eveyone have a nice weekend. The weather is beautiful and sunny so we are going to try to go boating for a few hours. The guys have practically rebuilt the motor so we will see how it goes. We have a notorious cave at the lake. Unfortunately another young and curious person was killed the beginning of May while going off the path and went over the cliff. We stay on the path. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/91/208464210_f6c7a3efc4.jpg?v=0
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Comment #26 posted by greenmed on May 29, 2009 at 20:26:14 PT

FoM
I enjoyed the videos. It's good that Yusuf is off the no song list; sand feels better without boots. LOL!
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on May 29, 2009 at 18:49:55 PT

Illinois Pot Update
May 29, 2009SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - State Rep. Lou Lang, who is sponsoring a proposal to legalize marijuana for medicinal uses, said he’s unsure of when he might call his bill to a vote on the Illinois House floor.Lang, a Skokie Democrat, just told us he probably won’t bring the measure to a vote until he knows he has the 60 ‘yes’ votes needed for it to pass the House — which could mean a vote won’t come until the fall or next spring.Lang said he is picking up more votes each day, so a vote could still come this weekend as lawmakers scramble to wrap up legislative business for the summer by Sunday.URL: http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2009/05/illinois-pot-update/
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on May 29, 2009 at 12:05:50 PT

One More Music Post
This song is by Cat Stevens/Yusuf's son.Endoscopises - Yoriyos - Bury My Heart At Wounded Kneehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z4ZGhYItJM
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on May 29, 2009 at 11:40:13 PT

greenmed
I think this would be the first year for Neil to be able to invite him to take part in the Bridge School Benefit Concert. They must have taken him off the no song list. LOL! I am sure he will. Yusuf's son is a Neil Young fan and a musician. I found that info on the links on his page. You can sample his music on the link too.http://www.yoriyos.com/This video is with Dolly Parton and Paul McCartney.Boots and Sandhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-m5k_nW8mcSome Bridge School videos.http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=bridge+school
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Comment #22 posted by greenmed on May 29, 2009 at 10:49:56 PT

FoM and Hope
Thank you both for your video links. I just got back from DMV limbo to get a license replacement... I lost my wallet last week. The videos I will check out now to chill out a bit :)I would look forward to listening to some collaboration between Neil and Yusuf/Cat - I hope they can get together to make some music. I would enjoy that very much.Are the Bridge School benefit concerts archived somewhere?
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on May 29, 2009 at 07:59:33 PT

Woodstock.com
It seems they are going to launch an updated web site. I wonder what they will do. The New Woodstock.com Launches June 1st   11:00AM ESThttp://www.woodstock.com/
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on May 29, 2009 at 06:58:19 PT

greenmed
Neil really loves his cars. I know some folks have problems with Cat Stevens and I understand but I have been enjoying Roadsinger. Here is a video of the restoration of the VW Bus used in Roadsinger. I bet Neil will try to have him play this fall at the Bridge School benefit concert.Yusuf - Makeover Of The Roadsinger Vanhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn45onlcKMA
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Comment #19 posted by afterburner on May 29, 2009 at 05:37:30 PT

Hope #18, FoM & interested others
Many folks at this site believe that cannabis is Not addictive, due to its mild withdrawal, unlike the intense suffering of opiate withdrawal or the extreme craving for cocaine or meth. Although this site is dedicated to cannabis reform, we have discussed from time to time our compassion for those addicted to really hard drugs. The following link gives an interesting glimpse into possible treatments for hard drug addiction, emphasizing patient self-empowerment to control the symptoms:Cellphones as parents' helpers.
They teach the alphabet and listen for crying babies.
May 27, 2009. 
Rose Hanson.
The Associated Press.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (May 27, 2009) 
http://www.thespec.com/go/living/article/572288
excerpt: {
And the phones have been put to work in times of crisis, too. Saarinen and her husband, Paul, of Minneapolis, used a program called Cardio Calc on his iPhone to track their infant daughter Eve's health information during a recent stay in a Boston hospital for heart surgery to repair problems including a leaking valve. A free rattle application, Baby Rattle Bab Bab Lite, showed spinning graphics and chimes when Eve moved it around. It stopped her most intense crying when she was coming off pain medication, Annamarie said.
}
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Comment #18 posted by Hope on May 28, 2009 at 23:00:26 PT

Good article out of the UK
Marijuana and cocaine should be legalised, says Latin American drugs commissionhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/28/legalise-marijuana-drugs-commissionExcerpt:Marijuana and cocaine for personal use should be decriminalised because the "war on drugs" has been a disaster, according to some of Latin America's most powerful politicians and writers.The current international policy on drugs encourages corruption and violence that is threatening democracy throughout the continent, according to the former president of Brazil, Fernando Enrique Cardoso, who is a co-president of the Latin American commission on drugs and democracy. As well as politicians, the commission includes the writers Mario Vargas Llosa of Peru, and Paulo Coelho of Brazil.The election of Barack Obama has opened up the best opportunity for decades to address the failure of the "so-called drugs war", Cardoso told the Guardian today on a visit to London. He said he was hopeful that the international community would acknowledge that the time had come for a "paradigm shift" in the debate on drugs. "The war on drugs has failed in spite of enormous efforts in places like Colombia – the area of coca crops is not reducing," he said.The current system of prohibition encouraged corruption among police officers, politicians and even judges. "It poisons the whole system, it undermines democracy," Cardoso said. "The war on drugs is based on repression … How can people believe in democracy if the rule of law doesn't work?" Users should be offered treatment rather than jail, he said."The starting point has to be the United States," he said. "Now we have a new American administration, which is much more open-minded than before." He said he had held talks with the US state department in the later years of the Bush administration and found that, privately, many of the officials there shared his views.
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Comment #17 posted by Hope on May 28, 2009 at 22:36:59 PT

Since we're in a Neil Young mode, imagine that! 
I got a kick out of seeing this today. Neil Young and his cars Part 1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsYR_iTGjZ4&feature=relatedHaven't seen Part 2 yet... saving that for the weekend.
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Comment #16 posted by greenmed on May 28, 2009 at 20:24:58 PT

FoM
I think it's funny too. I like the stop-action kind of filming, people in the background just doing their thing walking along, back when videos didn't have all the elaborate technical effects -- it holds up well. In a way it's similar to his latest videos where he's driving around... they make a very personal connection to me.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on May 28, 2009 at 19:52:44 PT

greenmed and Hope
He does seem to like big white cars. I think that video is funny.
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Comment #14 posted by greenmed on May 28, 2009 at 19:24:45 PT

Hope, FoM
That' a great video... it used to get airplay on MTV way back when. Neil seems to like those big white convertibles. Could that be the same car he converted to biodiesel last year?
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on May 28, 2009 at 18:58:45 PT

Comment 10
I absolutely love it! Of course it's buffering all over the place... but I can tell I love it!Thanks.
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on May 28, 2009 at 16:44:57 PT

DarthNole
I'm ignorant of that site and what it means. How will it help the situation if it's voted up?
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Comment #11 posted by DarthNole on May 28, 2009 at 15:52:54 PT:

Today is the last day to Vote
Let’s Vote this up to #1:http://opengov.ideascale.com/akira/dtd/3191-4049

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Comment #10 posted by FoM on May 28, 2009 at 11:36:16 PT

Hope
Neil Young's Doo Wap song! LOL!Neil Young - Wonderin'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LQCQ6LhH9w
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on May 28, 2009 at 11:30:45 PT

Hope
I'm glad you liked it. I never understood how Sha Na Na was at Woodstock! LOL!http://www.shanana.com/video.htm
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on May 28, 2009 at 11:21:20 PT

Comment 5
That's so cool. I never cared for going to the "Hop", personally, although I liked the song. This is a better idea. Funny. First smile of the day. Thanks.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on May 28, 2009 at 10:58:59 PT

NikoKun
You're welcome.
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Comment #6 posted by NikoKun on May 28, 2009 at 10:56:34 PT

FOM
Thanks for finding the vote record, I was gonna look it up myself.
My senator voted against it... So I'm going to sent a letter expressing my displeasure with his vote.
I hope others thank/scold their rep... Follow-up letters are important. Especially in small areas such as mine.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on May 28, 2009 at 08:38:34 PT

Funny Video
Medical Pot and Dash Rip RockURL: http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/2061
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on May 28, 2009 at 06:55:55 PT

Roll Call Vote
State of Illinois -- 96th General Assembly -- Senate VoteSenate Bill No. 1381URL: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/votehistory/96/senate/09600SB1381_05272009_081000T.pdf
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Comment #3 posted by The GCW on May 28, 2009 at 06:39:31 PT

"misallocation of resources"
US: Governments' Drug-Abuse Costs Hit $468 Billion, Study Sayshttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n566/a12.html?397Pubdate: Thu, 28 May 2009
Source: New York Times (NY) 
Government spending related to smoking and the abuse of alcohol and illegal drugs reached $468 billion in 2005, accounting for more than one-tenth of combined federal, state and local expenditures for all purposes, according to a new study. Most abuse-related spending went toward direct health care costs for lung disease, cirrhosis and overdoses, for example, or for law enforcement expenses including incarceration, according to the report released Thursday by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, a private group at Columbia University. Just over 2 percent of the total went to prevention, treatment and addiction research. The study is the first to calculate abuse-related spending by all three levels of government. "This is such a stunning misallocation of resources," said Joseph A. Califano Jr., chairman of the center, referring to the lack of preventive measures. "It's a commentary on the stigma attached to addictions and the failure of governments to make investments in the short run that would pay enormous dividends to taxpayers over time." Beyond resulting in poor health and crime, addictions and substance abuse -- especially alcohol -- are major underlying factors in other costly social problems like homelessness, domestic violence and child abuse. Shifting money from hospitals and prisons to addiction treatment and research has never been politically easy, and it is all the harder now because the federal government and most states face large budget deficits and are cutting many key services. But Mr. Califano said that many preventive measures had rapid payoffs in medical and other expenses. The work of the center and of Mr. Califano, who was a secretary of Health, Education and Welfare in the 1970s, have sometimes drawn fire from conservatives who put more emphasis on law enforcement than drug treatment and, on the other side, from groups who advocate loosening some drug laws and using needle exchanges and supervised addiction maintenance, as some European countries do, to reduce the personal and societal costs. Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a national group advocating legal reforms, said it was misleading for the report to lump together direct costs of tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse, like ill health, with expenses relating to enforcement of marijuana laws and prison. Many of the criminal justice costs, Mr. Nadelmann said, are not an inherent result of drug use but rather of policy choices to criminalize it. "Still, the punch line of their report, that society should invest far more in prevention and treatment, makes total sense," Mr. Nadelmann said. CONT.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on May 28, 2009 at 05:22:48 PT

Gov. Schwarzenegger Answers Legalization Question
Gov. Schwarzenegger Answers Digg Questions on CNN May 27, 2009http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GitrqwKKAcE
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Comment #1 posted by BobbyRa on May 27, 2009 at 21:12:27 PT

I will have to accept one serving of crow
Very happy with the results of that vote. Go House!
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