Illinois Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Expansion Law

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Illinois Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Expansion Law

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has signed legislation to expand and extend the state’s medical marijuana program.

The legislation, Senate Bill 10, extends the state’s medical cannabis program to 2020. Legislation initiating the program was set to expire in 2018.

Other changes to the program include: adding post-traumatic stress and any terminal illness as qualifying medical conditions; extending the lifespan of state-issued registry cards from one year to three years in duration; and amending the requirement that…

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Week in Review: IL Expanding Medical Cannabis, OR Milestone & CA MMJ Revamp

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By Omar Sacirbey and John Schroyer

Illinois moves to give its medical marijuana industry a boost, Oregon marks a milestone in its adult-use cannabis industry, and California lawmakers embark on a revamp of the state’s MMJ market.

Here’s a closer look at several notable developments in the marijuana industry over the past week.

A Shot in the Arm

Illinois is expanding the list of approved conditions for MMJ use – and making it easier for docs to help patients get access to medical…

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IL Again Weighs Expanding MMJ Qualifying Conditions

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Medical marijuana businesses in Illinois hope the third time’s a charm for expanding the state’s list of approved conditions for MMJ treatment.

The state’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Board will meet Monday on whether to add 15 new conditions to the current list of 39 approved conditions, according to the Associated Press.

The proposed conditions include: chronic pain, migraines, post-traumatic stress disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, Lyme disease, osteoarthritis, autism, chronic…

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Poll Finds 82% of Illinois Voters Support Medical Marijuana

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CARBONDALE, IL — More than four out of five Illinois voters support medical marijuana use, according to a new poll released Monday.  The same poll found a slim majority oppose legalizing recreational use of cannabis, however.

According to the poll conducted by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 82% of Illinois voters support legalized medicinal marijuana in Illinois. Only 16% were opposed.

This represents an increase of 19 points since the same poll asked a similar question in 2013, when…

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Illinois Tries Again to Add PTSD to Medical Marijuana Conditions

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House Bill 6199 would also protect registered medical marijuana patients’ rights to own firearms.

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Lawmakers in Illinois are trying to allow patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) eligible for the state’s medical marijuana program.

This marks the third attempt to add the condition to the state’s Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that is estimated to impact some eight million Americans annually, including many military…

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Illinois Governor Rejects Adding Conditions to Medical Cannabis Program

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Despite a recommendation from the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner decided not to add eight medical conditions to the state’s medical cannabis pilot program.

This is the second time his health department has turned down expanding the list of qualifying conditions.

The petition included four pain syndromes and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The first time Gov. Rauner’s health department rejected new conditions, the governor noted that the program was not yet fully up and running. However, now that dispensaries…

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ASA Releases New Report on State Medical Marijuana Programs

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With the release last year of the first detailed analysis and comparison of state medical marijuana laws, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) created a patient-focused tool to identify effective programs and problem areas. That groundbreaking report was followed by the release of ASA’s new, far more detailed report on state programs, which reflects the many new states that have added programs as well as others that have improved their existing programs.

Like the original report, this latest white paper enables advocates, policy makers and…

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ASA Report Evaluates Medical Marijuana Programs Nationwide

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ASA Report Evaluates Medical Marijuana Programs Nationwide

Patient Advocates Hope Report will Help State Legislators “Make the Grade” in 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Americans for Safe Access (ASA) issued “Medical Marijuana Access in the US: A Patient-Focused Analysis of the Patchwork of State Laws,” on Tuesday. The annual report evaluates the array of differing state medical cannabis programs across the country from a perspective often overlooked in policy debates: the patients’ and provides policy makers with model legislation and regulations. With dozens of states already seeing legislative…

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Illinois’ First Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Open

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Department of Health approves over a dozen long-awaited dispensaries to open this month; licensed and regulated businesses begin providing medical marijuana to patients with serious illnesses

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Illinois’ first medical marijuana dispensaries have been approved to open across the state, with five expected to open Monday, including locations in Addison, Canton, Marion, Mundelein, and Quincy.

So far, a total of eight are approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health with seven more dispensaries expected to open later…

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Illinois Medical Marijuana Sales (Finally) Begin Today

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The sale of medical cannabis to qualifying patients and caregivers will begin at eight dispensaries located throughout the state.

SPRINGFIELD, IL — After years of delays, the first eight dispensaries in Illinois will begin selling medical marijuana as early as next Monday after state officials gave growers the green light Friday to begin shipping cannabis to dispensaries.

The eight dispensaries are located in Marion, Mundelein, Canton, Quincy, Addison, North Aurora, Schaumburg and Ottawa.  According to Joseph Wright, Director of Illinois…

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Illinois Medical Marijuana Sales (Finally) Start Monday

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The sale of medical cannabis to qualifying patients and caregivers will begin on Monday, November 9, 2015 at eight dispensaries located throughout the state.

SPRINGFIELD, IL — After years of delays, the first eight dispensaries in Illinois will begin selling medical marijuana as early as next Monday after state officials gave growers the green light Friday to begin shipping cannabis to dispensaries.

The eight dispensaries are located in Marion, Mundelein, Canton, Quincy, Addison, North Aurora, Schaumburg and Ottawa.  According to Joseph…

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Illinois Governor Rejects Additional Medical Marijuana Conditions

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Illinois Governor Rejects Additional Medical Marijuana Conditions

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill Thursday that would have allowed patients suffering from eleven different conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, to qualify for the state’s medical marijuana program.

Other conditions that would have been added to the program included chronic post-surgical pain, osteoarthritis and irritable bowel syndrome. The addition of the qualifying conditions had been suggested by the Illinois Medical Cannabis Advisory Board earlier this year.

In his veto message, Rauner…

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Illinois Registers First Medical Marijuana Dispensary

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Illinois Registers First Medical Marijuana Dispensary

SPRINGFIELD, IL — After years of delays, the first medical marijuana dispensary in Illinois has been registered by the state.  The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (DFPR), who is responsible for overseeing the state’s medical marijuana pilot program, announced the registration on Tuesday.

Harbory, which will be located in the southern part of the state in the city of Marion, was the first dispensary applicant in the state to successfully complete the registration and inspection processes, and is now licensed…

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Medical Marijuana Grower Helps Victims of Illinois Tornado

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Revolution Enterprises CEO Tim McGraw is paying for hotel rooms for residents displaced by Thursday night’s tornado in Delavan, Illinois

DELAVAN, IL – People who lost their homes when a tornado roared through their central Illinois town last week received help from a new neighbor: the top executive of a medical marijuana-growing company.

Delavan, ILDelavan Mayor Liz Skinner said Sunday that Revolution Enterprises CEO Tim McGraw is paying for hotel rooms for residents displaced by Thursday night’s tornado.

More than 50 homes were damaged as the tornado, which reached wind speeds of 120 mph, tore a 1-mile path through the community of 1,700 residents. “Nine homes were declared uninhabitable,” Skinner said.

No one was killed in the twister, which also took down trees, garages and grave markers…

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Illinois Lawmakers Add PTSD to Medical Marijuana Conditions

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SPRINGFIELD, IL — Lawmakers in Illinois gave final approval Saturday to a bill to add post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the quallifing conditions for the state’s medical marijuana pilot program.

Senate Bill 33 was approved Saturday by a vote of 68 to 36 in the House.  The bill was approved by the Senate by a 34 to 19 vote on May 21.

Illinois’ full legislature has given approval to Senate Bill 33, a measure to add post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a qualifying medical cannabis condition.

The bill will now be sent to…

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Illinois Governor Awards Medical Marijuana Licenses Following Review

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SPRINGFIELD, IL — Medical marijuana will soon be grown in Illinois, after the office of Governor Bruce Rauner (R) began awarding permits for medical marijuana growers and dispensaries on Monday.

The surprise move to award the permits came following concern from medical marijuana patients and activists, who had been fearing that the new governor would stall the program indefinitely after the outgoing Quinn administration failed to meet its own deadline of issuing the permits by the end of 2014.

Last week, Rauner’s office said no licenses would be issued until a legal review of the process that began under former Gov. Pat Quinn (D), who announced on the morning of Rauner’s inauguration that he would leave the issue for the incoming Republican to decide, was completed.

In total, 18…

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