Many states in America have now agreed to legalize marijuana but are still treating it as a controlled substance. You can’t go to a marijuana dispensary and expect to buy medical marijuana even if you are sick. There are steps that you need to follow in order to access medical marijuana legally. In Illinois, the process of applying for an Illinois online medical card is easy to understand. Illinoisans are allow to apply for a medical and recreational marijuana card, provided they adhere to the rules and restrictions set by the authorities. In this post, we shall explore the various laws set by Illinois state to find out what is required of patients before they are allowed to access medical marijuana.
How to apply and obtain an Illinois online medical card
The current laws in Illinois are set to govern patients who want to use marijuana for medical reasons and those who want to use cannabis for recreational purposes. You need to know the difference between the two of you to avoid getting caught up on the wrong side of the law. Until the time of publishing this article, Illinois had not legalized recreational cannabis. This means that using marijuana for recreational reasons is illegal. The law states that it is illegal to cultivate, transport, manufacture, and distribute cannabis for recreational purposes.
Qualifications for using marijuana in Illinois
If you like to be on the safe side as a patient while using marijuana, you have to prove that you are suffering from a medical condition that requires cannabis for relief. To do this, you need to schedule an appointment with a state-licensed doctor. The doctor will ask you a few questions and carry out several tests to prove that you are indeed suffering from a dilapidating medical condition. This is based on the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act. A medical marijuana card acts as a pass for patients who have chronic and dilapidating medical conditions to go to a medical marijuana dispensary and access cannabis legally.
Since, in almost all states, cannabis is a controlled substance, you need to use allowed quantities in order to escape the arms of the law. Qualifying conditions are medical issues that cause the patient extreme pain and discomfort. They are also known as dilapidating diseases. Examples include AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and severe arthritis. The use of marijuana in Illinois is full of controversies.
Benefit and other considerations such as:
- Driving under influence
- Health and safety
- Easier access to the cannabis for the teens
If you are an Illinoisan and you want to obtain a medical marijuana card, you first have to prove that you have a dilapidating disease. Other documents required in the Illinois online medical card application include an identification card issued by the Illinois state for proof of residence and a driver’s license to act as proof of identity. You also have legal age, which is 18 years and above. Minors need caregivers in order to obtain a medical marijuana card. You also need to find out about medical card renewal in Illinois while applying for your card.
As much as the law is not straightforward about the legality of recreational cannabis, patients who can prove that their medical condition requires cannabis can still access the herb. The conflict of interest is between the state and the federal government, which still holds that cannabis is still illegal. The state of Illinois won’t accept any penalties associated with using marijuana for medical purposes because it has already legalized medical marijuana. It is a matter of time before Illinois follows suit to legalize recreational marijuana.
Conclusion
Medical marijuana is beneficial to patients undergoing extreme pain due to dilapidating symptoms of severe and chronic illnesses. Many states considered the pain patients go through and other meditation before legalizing marijuana for medical use. Patients, however, need to follow the laid down criteria before obtaining an Illinois online medical card, which allows them legal access to cannabis since marijuana is a controlled substance.
