How did they vote?

The Illinois House of Representatives approved “Medical Cannabis” (HB 1) Wednesday afternoon by a vote of 61–57.  This bill allows a “qualified” patient to have 2.5 ounces of marijuana every 14 days (183 joints, 13 per day).  Even the most experienced user smokes an average of three or four joints a day, potentially allowing the surplus to be sold on the streets.  This anti-family legislation is sponsored by State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie).

Click HERE to see how your state representative voted on this anti-family legislation.  It is important to note that State Representatives Mike Bost (R-Carbondale), Jim Sacia (R-Freeport), and Patricia Bellock (R-Westmont) raised strong objections to the bill during floor debate.  

On the other hand, State Representatives JoAnn Osmond (R-Gurnee), Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake), David Harris (R-Arlington Heights), Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville) and others spoke in favor of passing this terrible bill.

The issue of legitimizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes will encourage and increase destructive behavior in users. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. Research has found that adolescent and teen drug use rises as the perception of harm diminishes. If marijuana is classified as medicine, marijuana use among youth would increase.

The bill now moves to the Illinois Senate.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your state senator today to ask him/her to vote NO to HB 1.  You can also call the Capitol switchboard at (217) 782-2000.

Background

Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. Legalization for any reason will create a law enforcement nightmare. We ignore the concerns of the law enforcement community at our peril.

When perceived risk goes down due to legalization, use among adolescents increases. Legalization will indicate to adolescents that it’s not harmful, creating pain, problems and heartache for countless families.

Consider the following:

• Marijuana impairs cognitive and psychomotor performance. It can slow reaction time, impair motor coordination, limit short-term memory, and make it difficult to concentrate and perform complex tasks. Spatial perception is distorted and time perception is impaired so that perceived time goes faster than clock time.
• Marijuana can produce severe anxiety and panic, paranoia and psychosis. Hallucinations may occur with high doses of marijuana.
• Impairment from one joint can last more than 24 hours.
• Marijuana produces a feeling of intoxication. The high comes on within minutes of smoking and then reaches a plateau lasting 2 hours or more, depending on the dose.
• Marijuana smoke is absorbed through the lungs, enters the bloodstream rapidly, and reaches the brain within minutes. 
• Marijuana is unlike other drugs. Marijuana is fat soluble rather than water soluble. It rapidly accumulates in fatty tissues in the body and is then slowly released. The half-life of THC, the psychoactive ingredient, is about 7 days and complete elimination of a single dose may take up to 30 days. 
• Because marijuana is slowly eliminated from the body, there is no accurate way of relating blood, urine, saliva or sweat concentrations to the degree of intoxication.

  
  (Source; Ashton, C. Heather, Pharmacology and effects of
  cannabis:   British Journal of Psychiatry: Feb. 2001.)

Contact your state senator now!

 Click HERE to make a donation to the Illinois Family Institute.