Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill Thursday that legalizes the use of marijuana in the state limits, but only for medicinal purposes.
Gov. Pat Quinn signed House Bill 1 that legalizes the medical use of marijuana in Illinois, but has introduced some of the toughest restrictions into the law to ensure the rightful use of the drug. Illinois joined 20 other states in the nation to allow the medicinal use of marijuana. The new-law comes as a four-year pilot program, which goes into effect from January 1, 2014.
The bill allows only doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients, but not exceed a limit of two-and-a-half ounces every two weeks. Doctors must consider the patient's condition and the need of the drug before signing a prescription. The bill lists as many as 40 conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and HIV for which the drug can be used as a medicine to relieve chronic pain.
"Pain and suffering for many chronically ill and terminally ill individuals will be significantly lessened, if not eliminated in some cases, because of Governor Pat Quinn's courage to sign a controversial bill that often has been subjected to distortions and fear mongering," Rep. Lang, a Deputy Majority Leader in the Illinois House, said in a statement. "On behalf of the many patients who came to Springfield to advocate for the bill, I want to thank the governor."
Scientific evidence has proved that medical marijuana can relieve continual pain, nausea and discomfort more effectively than any traditional medications. Gov. Quinn's agreement to legalize the drug was appreciated by several people, who applauded the arrival of the Governor to sign the bill during the ceremony, report ABC News.
The legalization of the drug comes with the strongest restrictions. Patients must be aged above 18 and suffering from one of the listed illnesses. Doctors have to confirm the conditions in the patients. Before patients are permitted to purchase the drug from state-controlled dispensaries, they will be subjected to a background criminal check.
Unlike some other states, despite the prescriptions from authorized doctors, patients will not be allowed to cultivate marijuana. They can only purchase through 60 licensed dispensaries spread across the state. The cultivation of cannabis will be done in 22 highly secured centers that will be under 24-hour surveillance.
Employers and owners of leased properties can ban the smoking of pot in the premises to maintain a drug-free environment. Prescribed patients cannot use the drug on a school bus, school grounds, child care facility, or any public places.
Other states that have also passed the law to legally use marijuana for medicinal purposes include Michigan, New Jersey, California and the District of Columbia.
