Jan. 11--With the clock ticking on Pat Quinn's time in office, a group of activists gathered in downtown Chicago on Saturday to demand that the outgoing governor issue licenses to growers and dispensers of medical marijuana before Bruce Rauner is inaugurated.
The group included family of a 5-year old Deerfield girl with a brain tumor, military veterans and a woman who stood alongside Quinn when he signed the bill legalizing medical marijuana in 2013.
"I want Governor Quinn's legacy to be known that he got this done for these people here, like he promised," said Phil Hoffman, a 56-year old veteran from Sandwich. "Please do what you said, governor, and don't wait anymore. Do what you said. Be the man that you say you are and stand up."
A poster on the wall declaring, "Gov. Quinn we need our meds!" highlighted the demonstrators' message as they took their turns at the podium. Dan Gurevitz, 42, of Deerfield, attended with his wife, Lisa, and two children. His youngest daughter, Mia, has a brain tumor.
Gurevitz said his family wants to be at the forefront of medicine and urged the governor to get licenses done "as quick as possible" for people facing similar medical hardships.
"Time is of the essence, and every minute that we waste not getting things done is another minute that children like ours ... don't get the medicine they need," he said.
The activists are concerned about the possibility of further delays when Rauner takes office Monday. Maria Rabadan, 49, said she was afraid the process would be like "starting over" if Quinn doesn't take action.
Rabadan and her husband, Javier Bahena, 47, of Mount Prospect, attended the news conference with their son, Jancarlo, who is 9 and has a rare form of epilepsy. The boy wears a helmet to protect his head.
Rabadan and her son stood with Quinn during the medical marijuana bill signing, but she said she was "frustrated" with the state's slow bureaucratic process in giving out licenses. She praised the governor for his efforts on behalf of the bill but said she hopes he approves the licenses before leaving office.
"We don't want to think otherwise," she said.
Quinn's office did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
When Rauner was running for office last year, he said that he would have vetoed the law legalizing medical marijuana and also questioned why the application process for companies that wanted to grow and dispense the drug wasn't more open.
After being elected, he proposed disclosing the applicants' financial information and selling the operating licenses for 21 growing warehouses and 60 retail stores to the highest qualified bidders.
