Illinois lawmakers approve medical marijuana for qualified patients

Illinois joins the ranks of states that allow use of marijuana for medical purposes, and the new rules will allow patients that meet approval criteria to have access by the spring of 2015.

by John Tyburski

Copyright © Daily Digest News, KPR Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

First published at Daily Digest News on July 15, 2014

Lawmakers in the state of Illinois finalized new rules on Tuesday that will allow regulated access to medical marijuana for some patients. Patients with qualifying medical conditions and other criteria may begin applying for identification cards this fall in order to purchase cannabis for medical purposes sometime next spring.

There are many details yet to work out before medical marijuana goes on the market in Illinois, however. Regulators have yet to choose which businesses will be licensed to grow and sell marijuana. Also pending are plans to establish safety testing protocols, policies, and facilities.

Entrepreneurs who wish to open their own dispensaries and growing operations are faced with challenges specific to raising plants that have been illegal for many years. One major question to be answered is where growers may acquire seeds.

“I guess they should fall from the sky,” quipped Bryan Willmer, owner of Grand Prairie Farms in Frankfort. Willmer wishes to open cultivation centers in three counties as well as a dispensary.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is in the process of converting an existing laboratory into a testing center where pot potency may be assessed along with screening for mold and pesticides. Meanwhile, state officials are trying to work out how seeds will be purchased.

On the near horizon—within the next 30 days—criteria will be established for scoring business applications. Up to 21 cultivation centers and 60 retail dispensaries across the state are anticipated.

The American Medical Association remains opposed to the legalization of marijuana but supports ongoing research efforts. Scientific investigations into safety and efficacy of marijuana have generally provided ambiguous results.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance, a class of dangerous drugs that also includes heroin and LSD. State laws do not override federal mandates. However, in a look-the-other-way spirit of sorts, federal prosecutors have indicated that they will not prosecute patients complying with state law.