* Sun-Times…

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday stubbed out a bill that would have raised the minimum age from 18 to 21 to buy cigarettes, vaping devices and tobacco products in Illinois.

In a letter explaining his veto to the General Assembly, Rauner called smoking “detrimental to the health of Illinoisans of all ages,” but argued the bill would only limit consumer choice without keeping tobacco out of youthful hands.

Using that logic, why does he still oppose legalizing marijuana?

* This bill faces a Tuesday deadline for action…

Gov. Bruce Rauner is expected to take action on a bill that would give opioid patients the option to use medical cannabis to treat their pain. […]

The bill, dubbed the Alternatives to Opioids Act, would significantly expand the state’s medical cannabis pilot program by giving people who have been prescribed opioids the opportunity to obtain a temporary medical cannabis card.

Under the bill, temporary access could not exceed 90 days, although a doctor could re-certify a patient after that point. The measure would also eliminate requirements for temporary patients to submit to background checks and fingerprinting.

Our current law makes zero sense. If you’re a cancer patient with weeks or a few months to live, there’s no way you can get a medical cannabis card before you die. Same goes for injured people. By the time they recover, they still won’t have a card.

* Common sense…

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Saturday signed a bill legalizing industrial hemp, adding Illinois to a growing list of states that allow the growth of cannabis for non-drug purposes.

“Legalizing the farming of industrial hemp just makes good sense,” Rauner said in a statement. “Roughly 38 states — including our neighbors in Wisconsin, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee — have allowed or are considering allowing cultivation of this crop for commercial, research or pilot programs. Our farmers should have this option as well.”

* Other bills…

* Thumbs down to Gov. Bruce Rauner for vetoing legislation that would expand benefits and collective bargaining rights for city paramedics and emergency medical technicians. Rauner took the action over the weekend on plans that would define paramedics and EMTs as “firefighters” for purposes of union bargaining and benefits for injuries or death. Yes, we know that Rauner has long sought to limit unions’ collective bargaining power, but this is too far. He says the legislation would be an “unfunded state mandate.” Maybe, but our EMTs deserve better. They have tough jobs, too. Both measures received the General Assembly’s approval by wide bipartisan margins and could face veto-override votes.

* Rep. Reick sponsors bill to help clarify dental care insurance: Senate Bill 2851 requires that dental insurance cards now include specific information that identifies whether the coverage is subject to regulation by the Illinois Department of Insurance.

* State lawmakers again eye gambling expansion

* Letter: Why is Rauner violating health care basics?: By vetoing HB 4096, Illinois will require Medicaid Managed Care Organizations to adopt a single preferred drug list. This limits physician prescribing behavior. Practitioners must be allowed to prescribe freely. Illinoisans with various chronic illnesses, including HIV, have similar clinical decision points. Often, these involve life-saving medications. Rauner is choosing to put vulnerable individuals — like the estimated 45,000 Illinoisans living with HIV — at increased risk for various unknown reasons. Perhaps, it’s just plain politics. It doesn’t matter — the ultimate effects are the same.

* Cunningham’s plan to end Chicago police quotas becomes law: Senate Bill 3509, sponsored by State Senator Bill Cunningham, rescinds Chicago’s exemption from a 2014 law banning counties and municipalities from assigning ticket quotas and using the number of tickets an officer issues as a performance evaluation. The law made exemptions for municipalities with their own independent inspectors general and law enforcement review authorities.