Liberal View of Medical Marijuana
By: Audie Moore
General Overview of Liberal Standpoint and Standpoint in Illinois.
Generally, People with a Liberal standpoint are for the legalization of medicinal marijuana. Some liberals would even go as far to say marijuana should be decriminalized or completely legal. Illinois has a relatively liberal medicinal marijuana program since it is available, but there is no decriminalization and it isn't fully legal. The medicinal marijuana program has taken off recently, when Medicinal Marijuana stores opened on November 9th. The program was expected to approve 10,000 patients, but there had only been 3,300 patients approved initially. Things are starting to trend upward, since 3,600 more patients have been approved for the program this month. The current head of the Medicinal Marijuana Program is Joseph Wright who was appointed by Governor Rauner 6 months ago. The medicinal marijuana program was approved in 2013, but the plans slowed a little with Quinn losing the election and general political discourse.
Policy By State
Joseph Wright
Head of Illinois Medical Marijuana Program
Medicinal Marijuana Shop
Customers outside of "Earth Med" located in Addison, Illinois
PiktoChart
Terrance Gainer
Terrance Gainer served as the former director for the Illinois State Police and as Chief of the U.S Capitol Police Force, racking up over 46 years of total law enforcement experience. He then served as the sergeant-at-arms for the United States Senate from 2007-2014. Gainer doesn't have a prescription for marijuana, has never used it. He never supported medicinal marijuana before; however, he accepted a job at Green Thumb Industries, one of the fastest growing and preeminent Medicinal Marijuana Suppliers. He became more of an active supporter of medicinal marijuana after observing his family members who have used it with positive results and because of the various medical benefits that it can provide.
Bill Wilson
Bill Wilson is a 52 year old man living in Chicago who has Degenerative Spine Disease. He avidly proclaims to be ant-drug and anti-alcohol, but he was one of the first 3,300 patients accepted into the Medicinal Marijuana Pilot Program, and he traveled to Addison, Illinois on the first day the program became legal to pick up his prescription. He got a prescription, because he experienced severe pain in his stomach through years of taking prescription painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications, and he hoped that the medicinal marijuana would reduce the medications. He first became aware of the benefits of medicinal marijuana, because it helped his sister in dealing with Multiple Sclerosis.
Edwin Schlesser
Edwin Schlesser is a man who has a variety of medical problems including, chronic spinal damage, herniated discs, chronic arthritis, and diabetic neuropathy among others. Because of all of these conditions, he is on a variety of different painkillers. He says that the current prescriptions are ineffective in treating the problems and can be addictive for some people. With the prescription for Medical Marijuana, Schlesser's doctors said that he should be able to cut out at least 7-8 of the current medications he is taking. Overall Schlesser thinks that Medicinal Marijuana is a better alternative than standard prescription drugs.