How To Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Illinois? (Updated – 2023)

A medical marijuana card is the only legal way to purchase marijuana for medical purposes. In some states where weed is legal for recreational and medical use, the government still orders the patients to hold an MMJ card. One such state is Illinois. Whether your state recognizes weed partially or wholly, it is best advisable to claim a medical cannabis card according to your state’s registration guidelines. Here are the basic details surrounding the Illinois Medical Marijuana Card.

How to Get an MMJ Card in Illinois?

Book an appointment

Begin with booking an appointment with a licensed medical doctor in Illinois by filling up an online evaluation form with accurate personal and medical detail and choosing the feasible timings to connect with the doctor.

Consult with the medical doctor

You will be connected to the medical doctor to perform the medical evaluations. This evaluation will take 15-20 minutes, so you are advised to stay patient and feel free to ask any queries associated with the medicine.

Get your medical marijuana card

Once the doctor approves you, the state authorities will review the information and share the medical card. After you receive your medical card, you can access medical marijuana products from nearby dispensaries.

Benefits of Getting an Illinois Medical Card

Even though marijuana for adult use was made legal in 2019, several perks will make you more comfortable with purchasing weed for treatment with an MMJ card.

• Taxation – Medical cannabis is subject to state and local retailers’ occupation taxes at the same rate as other qualifying drugs, i.e., 1% State Retailers’ Occupation Tax rate, and is generally exempt from locally imposed retailers’ occupation taxes.
• Legal Exemption – For Medical Marijuana cardholders, there is always an invisible shield protecting them from harsh legal penalties. Possession, consumption, and cultivation laws are framed with leniency.
• Priority – Every dispensary in Illinois considers patients with MMJ cards as their foremost consumers. They restock and maintain goods such that there is no shortage for any patient.
• Quantity and Quality – The potency of marijuana is quality-tested and carefully handled by the processors. Unlike recreational drugs, all medical marijuana forms are subjected to a lab check before they reach the dispensary.

How to Qualify?

To register with the statewide program, you must be in alignment with the prerequisites provided by the MCPP. Basic eligibility requirements are listed below.

• Be over the age of 18 or be assisted by a caregiver.
• Be a resident of Illinois.
• Be diagnosed with one or more of the qualifying medical conditions listed by the state.
• Have a valid recommendation from a licensed medical practitioner.

Qualifying Medical Conditions for Illinois Medical Marijuana Card

According to the Illinois medical cannabis program, the state of Illinois has a long list of qualifying medical conditions for an MMJ card.

• Agitation of Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Anorexia nervosa, Autism, Arnold-Chiari malformation
• Cachexia/Wasting syndrome, Cancer, Causalgia, Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), Chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome Type II)
• Dystonia
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
• Fibrous dysplasia
• Glaucoma
• Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, Huntington’s disease, 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,
• Post traumatic 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 the objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity), Spinocerebellar ataxia, Superior canal dehiscence syndrome, Syringomyelia
• Tarlov cysts, Tourette syndrome, Traumatic brain injury
• Ulcerative colitis

All About Medical Marijuana in Illinois

The Illinois General Assembly passed the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act in 2013 (MCPP). The law legalizes the use of medical cannabis in tightly controlled circumstances making it the 20th state to do so.
Applications for patients, growers, and vendors began in 2014.
In 2018, Illinois’ medical cannabis program greatly expanded, becoming available as an opioid painkiller replacement. The legislation also eased the application process, so applicants no longer have to be fingerprinted or undergo criminal background checks.

Possession and Cultivation

Possession

• General – can possess up to 500 mg of THC-infused products or 5 grams of concentrate for all Illinois residents, medical or not.
• Patients – can possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana over 14 days. Patients may apply for a waiver to be allowed to possess more.
• Non-patients – up to 30 g.
• Non-resident patients – can possess up to 250 mg of THC-infused product or 2.5 grams of concentrate.
• Non-resident Non-patients – up to 15 g.

Cultivation

• Under the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act 2020, medical marijuana patients could grow up to five plants at once in their homes or on their property.
• However, recreational users cannot grow marijuana in their homes or on their premises at all.

Caregivers

If a patient is under 18 or if the patient is physically or mentally unable to access it on their own, they must get assistance from a caregiver. The caregiver must get approval from the state. A valid caregiver must

• Be over 21 years of age.
• Be a parent, legal guardian, or a person authorized by either.
• Register with the state either individually or with the patient.
  Note: A patient can have two caregivers to assist them.

Reciprocity

Illinois does not accept out-of-state cards. Reciprocity here is restricting monitoring residents’ use of weed. However, other states accept valid medical marijuana cards from other states, either if they are a visiting patient or just a consumer. Thus, it is well organized when it comes to the legality of marijuana in the state of Illinois.