Medical marijuana is set to be rolled out on Monday. Reports from Chicago Tribune reveals that marijuana is now expected to be sold in Illinois legally for the first time in decades. Those who are qualified to be among the first patients in the state's cannabis program may now avail the said drug.
Eight marijuana dispensaries including several in the Chicago area are scheduled to open on Monday after state regulators provided cultivation centers the approval to start shipping the drug to the retailers late last week amidst last minute glitches.
The five dispensaries which include in Addison, Canton, Marion, Mundelein and Quincy have confirmed that they have available stocks and are ready to open as reported by the Medical Cannabis Alliance in Illinois.
Officials in Illinois stated they already mailed the required ID cards last October 30 to qualifying patients. The reported number of patients has now reached 3,300 however well below the number that many people in the industry has pegged for the business possible in Illinois.
Meanwhile, state workers are expected to work through the weekend to finish the setting up of a computer database of patients and care givers. The dispensaries must track where patients buy their cannabis and how much to avoid exceeding the legal limit of 2 ½ ounces per patient, every two weeks.
Furthermore, additional dispensaries are expected to be authorized to open by the end of the year resulting to 18 grow houses and 60 dispensaries authorized to operate under the state's four-year pilot program. This program is expected to be fulfilled by 2018.
Former Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law the State's Medical Cannabis Pilot Program in August 2013. This was designed by lawmakers to more strict compared to other states in terms of regulating the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
Those seeking to become qualified patients must get proof from a doctor that they have one of the 40 qualifying conditions and furthermore, they must also submit fingerprints and have their backgrounds checked for criminal cases.
With the lost of Quinn during re-election, the new administration has encountered delays in securing the licenses for growers and sellers. A state panel later recommended that four pain-related conditions should be added to the list but this has not been approved as of now.
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