Illinois Medical Marijuana Patient Information

What conditions can Medical Marijuana be used for in Illinois?

Illinois allows persons that need marijuana for life-altering health conditions to obtain medical marijuana cards. The Illinois Division of Medical Cannabis has a list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana treatment, including:

• Agitation of Alzheimer's disease: Medical studies have shown that various strains of medical marijuana produce a calming effect in patients who have Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia.
• ALS: Medical marijuana helps ALS patients deal with symptoms like reduced appetites, dour moods, and pain.
• Anorexia Nervosa: Anorexia patients typically deal with a lack of appetite and anxiety. Medical cannabis can help patients improve their appetite, reduce stress, and improve their moods.
• Cachexia/Wasting Syndrome: Cachexia (also known as "Wasting Syndrome") causes patients to feel weak, lose weight, and burn off muscle and fat. Marijuana consumption helps patients eat more, regain weight, and get stronger.
• Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy: Patients with CIPD use medical marijuana to deal with inflammation, muscle spasms, tingling sensations, and pain.
• CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome Type II): A 2013 paper from The American Pain Society reported that medical marijuana could significantly decrease CRPS patients' pain. The paper also claimed that patients were able to function more normally while using marijuana.

Other qualifying diseases on the state's list include:

• Autism

• Arnold-Chiari Malformation

• Cancer

• Causalgia

• Chronic pain

• Crohn's Disease

• Dystonia

• Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

• Fibrous Dysplasia

• Glaucoma

• Hepatitis C

• HIV/AIDS

• Hydrocephalus

• Hydromyelia

• Interstitial Cystitis

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• Lupus

• Migraines

• Multiple Sclerosis

• Muscular Dystrophy

• Myasthenia Gravis

• Myoclonus

• Nail-patella Syndrome

• Neuro-Behcet's Autoimmune Disease

• Neurofibromatosis

• Neuropathy

• Osteoarthritis

• Parkinson's Disease

• Polycystic Kidney Disease

• Post-Concussion Syndrome

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy

• Residual limb pain

• Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Seizures (including those characteristics of epilepsy)

• Severe Fibromyalgia

• Sjogren's Syndrome

• Spinal cord disease (including but not limited to Arachnoiditis)

• Spinal cord injury (damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with an objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity)

• Spinocerebellar Ataxia

• Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome.

• Syringomyelia

• Ulcerative Colitis

• Tarlov Cysts

• Tourette Syndrome

• Traumatic brain injury

What does an MMJ Card Permit in Illinois?

Per Illinois' Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (HB1438-SFA2), recreational users can buy or own marijuana in small quantities. However, Illinois Medical Marijuana Law offers anyone with a medical marijuana card the following privileges:

• Purchase Higher Quantities: With an Illinois medical marijuana card, you can buy more cannabis than regular recreational users. While the average recreational user can buy up to 1.05 oz of cannabis at a time, individuals with medical marijuana cards can buy up to 2.5 oz of cannabis every fortnight.
• Access to Guaranteed Stock: Cannabis is in high demand in Illinois, and recreational dispensaries typically run out of stock for particular strains. However, due to the patients' medical needs, medical marijuana dispensaries ensure that they always have products in stock, so your treatment is never interrupted.
• Access to More Product: The list of cannabis strains available to recreational users is significantly shorter than the list for medical marijuana users. Most people with medical marijuana cards find that medical dispensaries have products that are unavailable at recreational dispensaries.
• Priority Service: When recreational dispensaries are out of products, they typically have a long wait time before restocking. However, dual-dispensaries that sell to recreational and medical users give medical marijuana cardholders priority access to products and will make sure you get yours as soon as possible.
• Cheaper Costs: If you have a medical marijuana card, you may spend up to 25% less when buying products. This price difference is because medical marijuana users are exempt from excise tax - which the state commonly applies to goods like alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana.
• Growth Rights: If you have a medical marijuana card in Illinois, you are not limited to buying cannabis alone - you can grow it too. The state's statutes allow you to grow up to five plants in your home.

Not everyone can get a medical marijuana card in Illinois. The state will only issue cards to persons dealing with anything on the state's official list of medical conditions.

How long is an Illinois Medical Marijuana Card Valid?

In Illinois, medical marijuana cards are valid for up to three years. You can apply for a card that is valid for one, two, or three years.

Does Illinois Have Medical Marijuana Reciprocity?

There is no medical marijuana reciprocity rule in Illinois, as the state allows recreational sales. Anyone above age 21 may travel to Illinois and consume cannabis without a medical marijuana card. Recreational users may buy up to half an ounce of cannabis flower, 2.5 grams of concentrates, or 250mg of THC in marijuana-infused products.

Generally, US states have different marijuana laws and hold cardholders to varying standards. A state is said to have medical marijuana reciprocity if it allows you to buy medical marijuana even if another state gave you your medical marijuana card. Some states allow anyone with a medical marijuana card to purchase cannabis products - regardless of the issuing state, while some states have reciprocity agreements with others.

Is an MMIC valid outside of Illinois?

Because Cannabis is not yet federally legal, each state has its laws concerning medical marijuana use. Therefore, some states allow out-of-state individuals with MMIC cards to buy cannabis products based on the idea of Marijuana Reciprocity. If you have an Illinois MMIC and want to purchase cannabis from another state, your MMIC is valid in these states:

• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Hawaii
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Washington
• Washington D.C.

Is an MMIC Valid in Other Illinois Counties?

Yes. Per the Illinois Medical Marijuana Law, your Illinois MMIC is valid in all the state's counties.

Does Illinois accept Medical Marijuana Cards issued by another State?

No, Illinois does not have a medical marijuana reciprocity rule in place and does not allow local dispensaries to accept Medical Marijuana Cards from another state. However, because recreational marijuana use is legal in Illinois, anyone above age 21 may travel to Illinois and purchase cannabis without a medical marijuana card. Recreational users may buy up to half an ounce of cannabis flower, 2.5 grams of concentrates, or 250mg of THC in marijuana-infused products.

Does an Illinois MMIC protect me under Federal Law?

Under federal law, possession and use of cannabis is a crime. However, per the Illinois Medical Marijuana Law, a person within the state carrying a state-issued medical marijuana identification card may possess up to 2.5g of cannabis without fear of arrest as long as they are not:

• Inside a school bus;
• On a preschool, primary or secondary school's property or in any correctional facility;
• In a vehicle;
• In a private vehicle, with the medical cannabis in a reasonably secured, sealed, tamper-proof container;
• In a place where licensed child care or other similar social service care services take place.