Before she had access to legal medical cannabis she could barely brush her teeth.  Sarah Wright, a 61-year-old from Rock Falls, says she tried opiates to get relief from severe fibromyalgia — a condition that causes constant severe pain flare ups — but it was when she was approved and began to use medical cannabis that she found real relief.

Wright says if the program were to end, as it’s set to sunset in about 2 years, she would leave Illinois for a state where she could get cannabis legally. Wright joins others across the state urging the governor to approve 8 other conditions to the list of ailments people suffer from to get legal access to medical cannabis.

In other State news, Governor Bruce Rauner is defending a recent bond sale he initiated after a report from a state university says the state received millions less than it could have because of the state’s poor financial status.  A report from the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs released this week says Illinois’ poor financial condition was one reason the state got $53 million less from last week’s bond sale than it would have gotten from a similar sale 10 years ago. Governor Rauner defended the bond sale earlier this week saying he hears a different message from the market.

Critics of bond sales at the Cato Institute have said that governments should fund programs, even big capital projects, with current funds, not putting future generations into debt through bond sales. IGPA’s report says the estimated financial condition penalty could grow to more than $400 million per year when future capital needs are included.