Illinois Senate Passes Measure Legalizing Medical Marijuana, Heads to Governor for Final Approval

Illinois Senate Passes Measure Legalizing Medical Marijuana, Heads to Governor for Final Approval

The Illinois Senate has voted, 35 to 21, to approve a measure to legalize medical marijuana. The proposal has already been approved by the state’s House of Representatives, and now heads to the governor for final approval. If signed into law, it would be legal in Illinois for qualified patients to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana, which they would obtain through one of sixty state-licensed dispensaries. Governor Quinn hasn’t stated whether or not he’ll sign the measure, but stated recently that he’s “open minded” about the move.

In April, over 200 physicians in the state signed on to a resolution urging lawmakers to legalize medical marijuana, which gave a shot of momentum to the bill. Recent polling shows that 63% of the state’s residents support making marijuana legal for medical purposes.

If the governor signs the proposal into law, or simply lets it become law by taking no action, Illinois would become the 20th state with some form of medical marijuana legalized.

– TheJointBlog