illinois

The first medical marijuana dispensaries opened in Illinois in November. What do we know so far about this alternative treatment of illness? We hear many patients are grateful and that there's a strain called Pre-98 Bubba Kush that is one fast ticket to euphoria. On the business side, though...

Fact: 44 Americans die every day from prescription-drug overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "That doesn't happen with cannabis," Caprice Sweatt said Sunday. "Medical cannabis is a safe, legal option." With the legal version of the drug set to debut locally...

Americans for Safe Access-Illinois (ASA-Illinois) strongly supports the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board's decision to approve eight debilitating conditions that were not originally included in the Illinois Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act. The Medical Cannabis Advisory...

A statewide coalition plans to launch a social media campaign to press Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration to expand the medical marijuana pilot program to more patients. The Cannabis Patient Advocacy Coalition says its campaign will include short video testimonials from Illinois...

As more people start to use medical marijuana in Illinois, questions are being raised about the use of the drug while driving and how it will be enforced. This is a very gray area, because there's no objective standard for medical marijuana use while driving. How much is too much? Who...

New numbers show more and more medical marijuana cards are being handed out in Illinois and sales are climbing. So far, that's from at least one of several licensed businesses in our area. The Illinois Department of Public Health has now approved 4,000 patients for the pilot program. That's up...

The pace of Illinois patients getting state approval to use medical marijuana has increased. The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that it has approved 4,000 patients to use medical marijuana in the state's pilot program. That's 400 more than one month ago, a big jump...

Officials say Illinois patients legally purchased nearly $1.7 million worth of medical marijuana during November and December. Program director Joseph Wright on Monday announced sales figures since Nov. 9, when Illinois launched regulated sales with the opening of the state's first licensed...

There won't be a shortage of medical marijuana news this year in Illinois. Regulated pot sales began Nov. 9, and dozens of cultivation centers, including a Rock Island facility operated by Chicago-based Green Thumb Industries, are growing and distributing the plant. So far, 20 dispensaries...

The state of Illinois collected more than $5 million in fees from more than 350 applications for only 81 licenses to become a cultivator or distributor of medical cannabis. Rural Illinois saw a surge of interest in creating new jobs and boosting some small-town economies. The reason for this...

This month, patients were able to buy cannabis-infused products that include "edibles." This is a significant milestone as it provides another option for patients who cannot, or choose not to smoke cannabis. The Associated Press article "Medical marijuana edibles debut in Illinois, come with...

A shortage of doctors willing to sign medical marijuana cards has put the program in trouble in Illinois, barely before it gets off the ground. Currently, only 3,600 patients statewide have obtained them, according to David Friedman, who heads a firm that invests in and reports on the medical...

Belleville resident Carol Schmidt suffers stage 4 colon cancer and, as such, qualifies for medical marijuana which is now legal in Illinois. The problem is, she can't find a doctor who will recommend it for her. She apparently is not the only one. More than 30,000 qualifying patients were...

Belleville resident Carol Schmidt suffers stage 4 colon cancer and, as such, qualifies for medical marijuana which is now legal in Illinois. The problem is, she can't find a doctor who will recommend it for her. She apparently is not the only one. More than 30,000 qualifying patients were...

With fewer than 4,000 approved patients, the nascent medical marijuana business in Illinois is off to a slow start. Yet it hasn't kept away a cadre of cannabis entrepreneurs who once relied on guns, badges, tough drug laws and lengthy prison sentences to fight the drug. While neither state...

Chicago - Edible medical marijuana made its Illinois debut Saturday, ending a wait for patients who prefer eating to inhaling. To some, cannabis-infused foods seem milder than smoke or vapor, but the products carry their own risks. It takes longer to feel the effects when marijuana is eaten...

Chicago - Edible medical marijuana made its Illinois debut Saturday, ending a wait for patients who prefer eating to inhaling. To some, cannabis-infused foods seem milder than smoke or vapor, but the products carry their own risks. It takes longer to feel the effects when marijuana is eaten...

During 10 years as an administrator in the home health care industry, Irina Zhukovsky began getting what she thought were unusual requests. Many of her patients, some of them very sick, started asking if she could get them marijuana. "I was shocked at first," she said. But after...

During 10 years as an administrator in the home health care industry, Irina Zhukovsky began getting what she thought were unusual requests. Many of her patients, some of them very sick, started asking if she could get them marijuana. "I was shocked at first," she said. But after research into...

Illinois residents who want to add specific diseases to the state's medical marijuana pilot program have another chance to submit suggestions next month. The state public health department will accept petitions starting Jan. 1. The program allows people to suggest additional diseases for the...