Getting Medical Marijuana In Illinois Requires A Few Steps, But Help Is Available

In 2013 Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn signed the law that made marijuana legal for medical use. While this was widely applauded, especially among advocates for cannabis use of all kinds, the process of obtaining marijuana from a medical professional requires navigating a specific set of steps.

Interest and demand proved considerable immediately after legalization passed. Will County, Illinois, is the fourth most populous county in Illinois. Internet searches on, “Medical Cannabis Will County” spiked there following the 2013 law.

Will County residents discovered that obtaining cannabis required jumping through a series of bureaucratic hoops. For example, applicants must be 18 years of age and have proof that they are legal residents of Illinois. They are also required to have a genuine diagnosis from a licensed medical doctor naming the debilitating medical condition to be treated with cannabis.

All of the above must be approved by Illinois Department of Public Health which then issues a registry identification card to the patient.

The applicant must then work through a formal application process. Getting this done requires that three specific forms must be filled out. They are a Physician Certification form, a Qualifying Patient Application form and a Caregiver Application form. The latter is handled by the caregiver or provider.

Another requirement of note is that applicants must send a 2”x2” (passport size) photograph of themselves. It must be “only yourself,” with your full face showing with absolutely nothing in the background. Consulting with a local passport photo service is a good place to get this done easily.

All of these forms can be easily found online, including the very helpful site of a company called Greenhouse, a Chicago-area medical cannabis dispensary firm. A search on “Medical Cannabis Will County” will readily lead seekers to that site. You can also go directly to the Greenhouse site now.