We welcome the passage of House Bill 1 by the Illinois Senate today, creating a pilot project that provides Illinoisans with serious, debilitating illness access to amounts of medical marijuana. The overwhelming, bipartisan vote in the Senate sends this measure on to Governor Pat Quinn for approval.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois supports House Bill 1, and hope that this measure's enactment will provide some comfort and ease to people across the State who are wracked by pain and discomfort due to cancer, AIDS and other serious illnesses.

We urge Governor Quinn to sign the measure into law.