Hi Folks!

We are excited to announce the launch of Justice For Patients, The Healing Clinic’s “sister” Nonprofit Organization.

Justice For Patients was created to protect and defend the rights of patients who are confronted with legal and discriminatory issues associated with applying and/or registering for cannabis patient status.

Justice For Patients also seeks to help those who could benefit from medical cannabis but may not qualify for the Illinois Pilot Program, because of a past felony conviction.

Today, Illinois law prevents those with certain felony convictions from registering for the medical cannabis program. Justice For Patients is on a mission to change that.

Thanks for checking in. We Appreciate you.

Yesterday, The Healing Clinic attended the first official Illinois Medical Cannabis Advisory Board meeting in downtown Chicago.

We are pleased to report that the meeting was very productive thanks to every one of the engaged, happy and effective board members. All 13 board members were in attendance and a few people showed up for public comment.

Here is a copy of yesterday’s meeting agenda: 

We are THRILLED to announce that the Illinois Department of Public Health has made the decision to automatically extend the expiration date for patients who have registered for the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program. As of today, approved patients are receiving the following notice from the IDPH:

As you can see, registered patients were being told by the IDPH that their year long registration, which allows them to legally purchase medical cannabis in the state of Illinois, was set to expire prior to legal cannabis becoming available in the state. This malfunction was due to the program’s various delays.

The assigned expiration dates have been a growing concern for the patients we have had the pleasure of assisting through the registration process. We are happy to deliver this bit of good news to THC clients and to ALL registered cannabis patients in Illinois!

The board went on to discuss the current draft of their bylaws, including what the process of adding debilitating conditions to the law is going to look like.

The public hearing on Petitions to Add Debilitating Conditions will take place – Monday, May 4, 2015, 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM, James R. Thompson Center, Concourse Level, Assembly Hall

We encourage patients and advocates to attend the hearing, especially those who suffer from a condition that could benefit from medical cannabis, but is currently left out of the limited law. This is their opportunity to do something about it while helping grow the list of conditions so that many more sick people can eventually qualify to access medical cannabis in Illinois.

The public will be given an opportunity to address the board directly regarding the conditions chosen to be considered following the first round of petitions. Please Note: these hearings will be transcribed by a court reporter and eventually be made available to the public.

Unfortunately folks, this will not be a quick turnaround. The administrative process to add debilitating conditions will take 6-9 months. Yesterday, The Healing Clinic asked the board directly how far away we are from seeing the list if conditions grow. Their response was “12 moths”.

We hope to know which conditions will be up for discussion soon and will definitely keep everyone posted. Please remember to subscribe to our e-mail list for all important program updates.

Thank you for checking in with us.

We Appreciate You.

The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, lead by President and CEO Kurt Florian, has been one of the most fundamental supporters of medical cannabis in Illinois. The foundation worked tirelessly to amend Illinois law to include pediatric patients in the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program. Thanks to their efforts, pediatric patients have been allowed to register for the program since January 1, 2015.

On December 23, 2014, Illinois health officials posted emergency rules spelling out how the state’s medical cannabis program will be extended to children. The rules state that patients younger than 18 with certain health conditions, including seizures from epilepsy, will be able to use non-smokable forms of cannabis under the new law. Children will need to obtain signatures from two doctors who certify that they believe the patient will benefit from medicinal cannabis.

Unfortunately, requiring two physician’s certifications, means more barriers between pediatric patients and the medicine they need. In general, Illinois doctors are opting not to give their signatures for qualifying patients who want to use medical cannabis. Therefore, having to secure two approving physicians, for many patients, creates a hopeless situation.

The Healing Clinic is a resource for pediatric patients and their families hoping to access medical cannabis in Illinois. Our physicians are educated on the medicinal benefits of cannabis, especially for pediatric patients, and are happy to help those that have been rejected elsewhere. We are honored to have been accepted by the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, as a legitimate organization for their network of patients who need a compassionate place to go. We look forward to serving the suffering children of Illinois and their families, who have exhausted all other medical options.

The Epilepsy Foundation’s annual Heroes Night Gala took place at the Field Museum on Friday, February 20, 2015. Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth was honored with the Richard N. Rovner Hero Award for her commitment to people with disabilities. Nicole Gross and Margaret Storey were honored with the Heroes Award for Inspirational Commitment, for their advocacy work that contributed to making epilepsy one of the qualifying conditions for medical cannabis in Illinois. The event was inspirational and our team had a great time participating.

We look forward to continuing our efforts to support epilepsy patients and working closely with the Foundation to help suffering families get the relief they need.

Thanks for checking in. We appreciate you.

Dispensary Groups Need Your Support.

Please join us to support dispensary groups applying for special use permits in Chicago, clear another mandatory hurdle at a zoning board of appeals public hearing.

Illinois residents need to welcome dispensaries into our communities and accept them in convenient locations so that patients have legal, safe and reliable access to medicine they need to live better lives. Patients should no longer have to resort to the potentially dangerous underground market in order to access medical cannabis.

More dispensary groups will present their plans in hopes of getting necessary zoning approval tomorrow, Friday February 20, 2015- 2:00 at the Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals 121 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL – Room 200.

A number of vocal opponents are expected to attend so a strong showing of support will make a big difference. The Healing Clinic founder, Feliza Castro, will be speaking in front of the zoning board to support MedMar Inc, a dispensary that hopes to move into a suitable location at 2843 N. Halsted St. Should they get approved tomorrow, they will be the only dispensary in our Lakeview neighborhood and one of only 13 in the entire city of Chicago.

We strongly encourage any advocates out there to show up and take part in a historical day for the Illinois medical cannabis movement.  Your presence will help dispensaries open in Chicago.

We Appreciate You!

After a long and very frustrating timeline, Illinois has finally kept its promise to give suffering people access to medicinal cannabis.

Pat Quinn originally signed the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot 
Program Act in August of 2013, and since then, it has been a roller coaster 
of excitement, anticipation and at times, hopelessness.

January 1, 2014– The law was officially enacted and three government agencies became in charge of writing the rules- The Department of Agriculture for cultivation centers, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for dispensaries and the Department of Public Health for patients, caregivers and physicians.

April 14, 2014– The proposed rules for implementation of the law were finally published. At that point it became a waiting game for patients who were eager to register and for businesses that were gearing up to apply for the limited number of licenses available to grow or sell cannabis.

August 8, 2014– The Department of Public Health releases the application forms for patients and caregivers, along with the physician’s certification form that patients are required to obtain. Draft applications for dispensaries and cultivation centers were also made available that day, and so finally, it seemed that the pilot program was moving forward.

September 2, 2014– Illinois begins accepting cannabis patient applications. The first patients received approval letters by mid September.

September 8, 2014– Illinois begins accepting dispensary and cultivation center applications. The deadline for these applications was September 22 and a total of 369 applications were submitted by hopeful entrepreneurs who paid non refundable application fees ($5,000 for dispensaries and $25,000 for cultivation centers), and invested in locations, lawyers and lobbyists, among other things. In the end, Illinois collected $5 million in application fees alone.

November 4, 2014– Pat Quinn loses the gubernatorial election to republican Bruce Rauner, who openly stated that he would have never signed the medical cannabis bill and that he didn’t agree with the state’s handling of the application process. Patients and cannabis license hopefuls believe that Quinn would choose the winners before exiting the governor’s office in January.

January 12, 2015– Quinn leaves office and Gov. Bruce Rauner gets sworn in without any licenses being awarded. This came as a surprise to his administration who worked tirelessly to push through the licenses in time.  This email revealed that Bob Morgan, general counsel to the Illinois Department of Public Health and Quinn appointed cannabis czar, was completely caught off guard by the former governor’s failure to act.

January 25, 2015– Following a Freedom of Information Act request, the press reveals which companies Quinn’s staff chose to receive the very limited and much sought after licenses to grow and sell cannabis. Curiously, a few of the top scoring companies appeared to be disqualified or put on hold without any explanation. Many saw this as a last minute move by Quinn to cover up favoritism.

January 30, 2015– Governor Rauner tells press that Pat Quinn meddled in the application scoring process and that he may turn the process over to the Attorney General’s office. At this point, the program seemed to be on indefinite hold for patients, advocates and entrepreneurs who were anxiously awaiting the release of those licenses.

February 2, 2015– Governor Rauner issues 53 dispensary licenses and 18 cultivation center licenses unexpectedly and is giving the chosen few 48 hours to accept. Finally, the agonizing delays are over and patients can rejoice knowing that medical cannabis in Illinois will soon become a reality.

And the winners are…

The Healing Clinic was the first to announce Rauner’s bold and exciting move via radio this morning. Here is a link to our interview with Vocalo Radio: https://soundcloud.com/vocalo/the-healing-clinic-medical-marijuana-02-03-15

We always believed in staying positive and will continue to work hard for cannabis patients in Illinois. Needless to say, we are very pleased with the recent turn of events and look forward to staying on the forefront of medical cannabis in Illinois.

We thank everyone who has continued to support us and believe in our efforts.

Despite the historic Super Bowl Blizzard, The Scott Emo show pulled off an amazing event that brought together a genuinely good group of people.

Special Thank You to everyone who made it out, despite the hazardous travel conditions.

The panel ended up including; Feliza Castro, Dr. Jennifer Glover and Flesh N Bone. Scott Emo led an informative discussion about medical cannabis, the status of the Illinois program and how advocates can get involved in the movement.

Here is a sneak preview of the episode, which will be shown on Comcast. We will update you with air date and info soon!

More good memories…

Remember to Subscribe to THC for invites to future shows and events!

Thanks for checking in-We Appreciate you.