After a long and seemingly endless wait, medical marijuana patients in Illinois are on the receiving end of some great news! Today marks the opening day of medical cannabis sales in Illinois after a two-year journey that began with former Governor Pat Quinn signing the law into effect in 2013.
State regulators gave the green light to state-licensed cultivation centers to begin shipping cannabis products to eight licensed and approved dispensaries last week in anticipation of the dispensaries opening today.
The Clinic Mundelein opened doors at noon today to a crowd of 100 registered patients waiting to be serviced. There are 3,300 patients that are listed in the medical cannabis patient registry for the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program. In order to pick up medical marijuana, patients must have a state-issued ID card and be registered ahead of time with a designated dispensary.
For all Illinois patients, please keep in mind that these first few weeks of rollout, there will be a limited supply of cannabis, and products that require more processing, such as concentrates and cannabis capsules will not be readily available yet.
The dispensaries that are scheduled to open today:
- The Clinic Mundelein
- Harbory
- Salveo Health & Wellness Dispensary
- Herbal Remedies Dispensary
- EarthMed
- PharmaCannis Health & Wellness – North Aurora
- PharmaCannis Health & Wellness – Schaumberg
- PharmaCannis Health & Wellness – Ottawa
- PharmaCannis Health & Wellness – Evanston
The state’s four-year pilot program is currently set to expire in 2018, but has taken more than two years for patients to gain access to medical cannabis and, in light of that, the deadline may be extended before the expiration date. The program has already garnered widespread support, and even expanded the qualifying medical conditions to include eight new conditions, although the program is still waiting for final approval.
Congratulations, Illinois! This is sure to be a new and exciting time, so remember to stay safe and stay informed. #JustSayKnow
