Illinois Medical Marijuana Card Cost

How Much Does the Illinois Medical Marijuana Card Cost?

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) manages the state’s medical marijuana registry and issues medical cannabis cards to patients and caregivers that meet its requirements. Illinois requires patients applying to its medical marijuana program to be diagnosed with certain qualifying debilitating conditions and have these diagnoses certified by their health care providers. Health professionals allowed to certify patients for medical marijuana use in Illinois include advanced practice registered nurse-full practice authority (ARPN-FPA), advanced practice nurse (APN), physician assistant (PA), doctor of medicine (MD), and doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO).

Cost of Physician Consultation

Health care providers certifying patients for medical cannabis use in Illinois must complete written certifications online. The state requires an eligible medical provider to have an on-going care relationship with the patient they are certifying, be responsible for their ongoing care, complete an in-personal assessment of the patient’s medical history, and conduct a physical examination of the patient. While a patient does not pay to obtain a medical provider certification, they may expect to pay for the provider consultation leading to the physical examination. The cost of a medical consultation required to obtain a medical marijuana certification in Illinois is between $100 and $350.

Illinois Medical Marijuana Card Fees

The Illinois Medical Cannabis Patient Program (MCPP) charges the same amounts for new and renewed medical cannabis cards. It charges $50 for a MMJ card valid for 1 year, $100 for a card with a validity period of 2 years, and $125 for a card that must be renewed every 3 years. These fees apply to both minors and adult patients applying to the Program. However, designated caregivers pay half of these fees ($25, $50, and $75 respectively for cards valid for 1, 2, and 3 years). However, a patient can name up to three caregivers in their registration. The cost of each additional caregiver is also $25, $50, and $75 for cards valid for 1, 2, and 3 years respectively. The MCPP fee schedule for Illinois MMJ cards also specifies reduced fees for certain patient groups, such as veterans.

Note that Illinois no longer issues plastic medical cannabis cards. Patients and caregivers are issued digital Registry IDs and can choose to print these MMJ cards on paper to present at dispensaries.