As the 2008 session winds down, legislators consider what to do with the medical marijuana bill

Much progress has been made this legislative session with the Illinois Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Pilot Program bill. The Senate bill, SB 2865, picked up two new co-sponsors this year, and the bill's lead sponsor, Sen. John Cullerton, sat down with law enforcement to listen to their concerns and then amended the bill to address those concerns.

Below are some things you can do to push this legislation forward and help patients like these.

1) Please send an e-mail thanking the four co-sponsors of SB 2865 for working so diligently to make this year's legislation a success.

2) After you have thanked the co-sponsors of SB 2865, send your member of the state House of Representatives an e-mail urging him or her to support HB 5938 and move it out of the House Rules Committee.

3) Anyone who has not yet emailed his or her state senator about this issue should do so today.

Anyone who is interested in composing a powerful 100- to 150-word letter to the editor should send MPP legislative analyst Nathan Miller an e-mail at nmiller@mpp.org along with a short description of why you support medical marijuana laws and a little information about yourself (where you live, what you do, etc.).

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and all of our allies. Please pass this alert on to any friends and family in Illinois who might be interested in helping very sick patients get the protection they need.