The sponsor of Illinois' medical marijuana pilot program is unsure of its future. Governor Pat Quinn left office without approving licenses for people to sell and grow marijuana.
Democratic Representative Lou Lang says he worked for five years to create the program, so residents could have relief from debilitating and painful conditions.
"My concern is not about me. My concern is about those patients and those caregivers. My secondary concern is about entrepreneurs who relied on the promise of the state that if they filed their applications under the rules, there would be scoring and there would be licenses issued. It was unfair to all of these folks."
Quinn's administration spent months reviewing applications, and gave no official reason for withholding approval.
Lang says he will work with new governor, Bruce Rauner, to try to issue the licenses. Rauner called the process "rigged" and told Quinn to halt it.
The medical marijuana program was supposed to be a four-year pilot. Lang says he may try to pass a measure extending it because of the delays.
