Illinois medical marijuana program leaves questions

Illinois medical marijuana program leaves questions
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The headline on a Daily Beast article Wednesday gives Illinois government way too much credit: "Illinois' Absurd Fight to Block Medical Marijuana."

That title implies a measure of organization that, unfortunately, doesn't apply to anything about the state's medical marijuana program since Gov. Pat Quinn signed it into law in August 2013.

A better headline might be, "Illinois' Incompetence and Legacy of Corruption Blocks Medical Marijuana."

When Quinn on Aug. 1, 2013, signed what officially is known as the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act - an oxymoron given what would transpire over the next 17 months -- he made Illinois the 23rd state with a medical marijuana law on its books. It capped years of effort by sufferers of numerous chronic diseases to persuade Illinois lawmakers that marijuana provided them relief where prescription drugs failed.

Read more about medical marijuana in Illinois and the program's possible future at Reboot Illinois.

Another program ready for the new Gov. Bruce Rauner to take a look? How to deal with the state's unfunded pension liabilities. One Illinois teacher has a plea for Rauner: "Deliver me my pension required by Illinois law." As the government figures out how to cover the $100 billion of unfunded pensions in the state, this teacher doesn't want his own retirement to suffer after he spent years serving the children of Illinois. Read more at Reboot Illinois.

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