Illinois Medical Marijuana Program

In 2013, Illinois legalized the use of medical marijuana for patients that receive a recommendation from a qualified physician, making it the 20th and most recent state to do so state to do so.

Qualifying Conditions

Under Illinois’s medical marijuana law, patients may be recommended marijuana for the following conditions:

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
  • Arnold Chiari malformation
  • Cachexia/wasting syndrome
  • Cancer
  • Causalgia
  • Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
  • Complex regional pain syndrome type 2
  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Dystonia
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Fibrous dysplasia
  • Glaucoma
  • Hepatitis C
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Hydrocephalus
  • Hydromyelia
  • Interstitial Cystitis
  • Lupus
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Muscular Dystrophy
  • Myasthenia Gravis
  • Myoclonus
  • Nail patella syndrome
  • Neurofibromatosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Post-traumatic stress
  • Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Sjogren’s syndrome
  • Spinal cord disease
  • Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA)
  • Syringomyelia
  • Tarlov cysts
  • Tourette’s syndrome
  • Traumatic brain injury and post-concussion syndrome
  • “Any medical condition for which an opioid has been or could be prescribed by a physician based on generally accepted standards of care”

How to Apply For a Medical Marijuana Card in Illinois:

To apply for a medical marijuana card in Illinois, you must meet the following criteria:

  • You must be 18 years of age and pass a background check
  • You must be a resident of Illinois and be able to prove such residency
  • You must obtain medical records that indicate you have been diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition
  • You must meet with a licensed physician and receive a written recommendation for marijuana
  • You must not hold a school bus permit or Commercial Driver’s License
  • You must not be an active duty law enforcement officer, correctional officer, correctional probation officer or firefighter.

In Illinois, you must get written documentation from a doctor that indicates that you have a condition which may benefit from the use of medical marijuana. This documentation needs to be submitted along with your online application to the Illinois Department of Health for review.

Renewal Requirements

Patients in the state of Illinois must annually renew medical marijuana recommendations, and then resubmit their online application to get a patient card.