Caregivers grow and process cannabis on behalf of patients. They cannot charge for cannabis, only recoup the costs of goods.

Current Estimated Patient Counts: 15,900 (updated 3/27/2017)

How can I get an Illinois Medical Cannabis Card?

Minor Qualifying Patients – Please scroll down.

To qualify for a patient registry identification card, a qualifying patient must:

• Be a resident of the State of Illinois at the time of application and remain a resident during participation in the program;
• Have a qualifying debilitating medical condition (see below);
• Have a signed physician certification (unless you are a veteran receiving medical care at a VA facility);
• Complete the fingerprint-based background check within 30 days of submitting your application and not have been convicted of an excluded offense (a felony under the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, Cannabis Control Act, or Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act, or similar provisions in a local ordinance or other jurisdiction), unless the Department waives such a conviction(s);
• Be at least 18 years of age;
• Not hold a school bus permit or Commercial Driver’s License; and
• Not be an active duty law enforcement officer, correctional officer, correctional probation officer, or firefighter.

Registered medical cannabis patients must select a dispensary to purchase their medical cannabis from.  Here is an updated list of registered dispensaries in Illinois.

Physician Written Certification Make sure your physician completes the Physician Written Certification Form and mails it from the physician’s office to the Department’s Division of Medical Cannabis. The certification must be received within 90 days of your application and must show an in-person visit date within the last 90 days.

Illinois Department of Public Health
Division of Medical Cannabis
535 W. Jefferson Street
Springfield, IL 62761

Qualifying Medical Patient Cannabis Application – Illinois

Instructions to fill out your Medical Cannabis Patient Application – Illinois

Illinois Qualifying Medical Patients must adhere to a background check, which is conducted using a Fingerprint Background check along with the submitted photo with your application.

Fingerprint Background Check – Patient Form – Illinois

Does my condition qualify for Medical Cannabis in Illinois?

• Agitation of Alzheimer’s disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Arnold-Chiari malformation
• Cancer
• Causalgia
• Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
• Crohn’s disease
• CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome Type II)
• Dystonia
• Fibrous Dysplasia
• Glaucoma
• Hepatitis C
• Hydrocephalus
• Hydromyelia
• Interstitial cystitis
• Lupus
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Myasthenia Gravis
• Myoclonus
• Nail-patella syndrome
• Neurofibromatosis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Post-Concussion Syndrome
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
• Residual limb pain
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Seizures (including those characteristic of Epilepsy)
• Severe fibromyalgia
• Sjogren’s syndrome
• Spinal cord disease (including but not limited to arachnoiditis)
• Spinal cord injury is damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity
• Spinocerebellar ataxia
• Syringomyelia
• Tarlov cysts
• Tourette syndrome
• Traumatic brain injury
• Cachexia/wasting syndrome

Medical Cannabis Registration Fees in Illinois:

• $100 – 1-Year Registry Card
• $200 – 2-Year Registry Card
• $250 – 3-Year Registry Card

Reduced Application Fees – Patients receiving Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and veterans may be eligible for a reduced application fee:

• $50 – 1-Year Registry Card
• $100 – 2-Year Registry Card
• $125 – 3-Year Registry Card

How can a minor apply for Medical Cannabis in Illinois?

Minors are subject to a $250 fee for a 3-year registry and are required to have a designated caregiver; one caregiver is included at no charge in the application.  Patients may add a second caregiver for a fee of $750 by completing a caregiver application.  Qualifying patients under the age of 18 are not required to submit a photo or undergo a fingerprint background check.

A physician certification is required as well as a reviewing physician certification.

If a qualifying minor patient turns 18 while their registry identification card is still active, they may apply for an adult registry identification card immediately or during the normal renewal period.

The designated caregiver is required to be specified for a qualifying patient under the age of 18:

• A qualifying patient under 18 years of age may identify two designated caregivers if both biological parents or two legal guardians have significant decision-making responsibilities over the qualifying patient; or
• If only one biological parent or legal guardian has significant decision-making responsibilities for the qualifying patient under 18 years of age, then a second designated caregiver may be identified.