Medical Marijuana Applications Are Now Available Online
By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 12, 2014 3:30PM
Applications are now available online for the state’s Medical Cannabis Pilot Program for doctors and caregivers seeking to write prescriptions for medical marijuana; patients looking to obtain a prescription; and prospective business owners who hope to open a medical marijuana dispensary or cultivation center.
If you’re dreaming of earning a living running a dispensary or state-sanctioned grow house, be prepared to jump through some serious hoops. The state will use a ratings system to determine the lucky owners of the dispensary licenses. The ratings will be based on an applicant’s business and operation plans, how they’ll keep records and handle inventory, and a security plan. The cultivation center applications will be weighted toward cultivation and security, and proposed locations must meet zoning requirements. Applications may be filed from Sept. 8 through Sept. 22.
Patients seeking medical marijuana prescriptions may begin filing applications Sept. 2. Patients with last names starting from A through L have until Oct. 31 to apply. Patients with last names from M through Z may begin filing applications from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31.
The state has arranged three public hearings on the program. In Chicago that hearing will be 10 a.m. Aug. 20 at Northeastern Illinois University, Alumni Hall (North), Student Union Building, 5500 N. St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625.
Gov. Pat Quinn signed the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program into law last August authorizing 22 marijuana growers in Illinois and opens 60 dispensaries across the state where users who suffer from a list of 33 ailments, including HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s Disease and cancer, to purchase 2.5 ounces of cannabis (with a doctor’s prescription) within a 14-day period. Growers, sellers and users would have to undergo criminal background checks and fingerprinting. But users would be subject to field sobriety tests if police believe they’re under the influence of marijuana and could lose both their driving privileges and prescriptions. Landlords and employers could also prevent prescription holders from keeping cannabis out of their workplaces and buildings.