Expiration Dates Will Be Extended For Registered Cannabis Patients In Illinois!
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:
- Approval Letter From IDPH WIth Set Expiration Date
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”.
