Number of Marijuana Patients in Illinois
Michael Mayes was quoted in Robert McCoppin’s January 8th, 2015 piece titled “Few patients approved for medical marijuana in Illinois“. At the time the number of marijuana patients in Illinois only totaled 650 patients. In other words, 650 total over the first four weeks of the start of the program. Fast-forward to November 2018 and the number of marijuana patients in Illinois total 42,000. Patient totals can be found on the state of Illinois website.
Illinois Medical Marijuana History
Former Governor Patrick Joseph Quinn Jr. signed the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act in August of 2013, which legalized the use, sale, and cultivation of medical cannabis in the state of Illinois.
Illinois started accepting applications for growers, vendors, and patients in September 2014. As a result, dispensaries started dispensing cannabis in November 2014. In July 2016, Governor Bruce Rauner signed a bill in that extended the state’s medical pot program until 2020 extending the four-year pilot program.
Number of Marijuana Licenses in Illinois
Illinois remains one of the most restrictive programs in the nation. However, only a handful of licenses provided within the state. Only 53 dispensary licenses and 22 cultivation licenses total.
Most recently, a Cook County judge, in a June 2016 ruling, ordered the state to add PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, to the list of debilitating conditions. This came after Rauner rejected a recommendation from the now-defunct Cannabis Advisory Board. Rauner also killed the advisory board’s proposals to add a migraine, osteoarthritis, and other ailments to the list of qualifying conditions. Even with opposition, there has been a decent boost in the number of marijuana patients in Illinois but many more conditions need to be added.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, Michael Mayes and team predicts that favorable legislative representation will be key. For example, legislation that supports the program will grow the number of medical marijuana patients in Illinois. That means Bruce Rauner needs to go. Visit our website for more information about the number of marijuana patients in Illinois. Visit our blog or email us at info@quantum9.net.
