Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Canton - When Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the extension and expansion of the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program late last month, patients and supporters across the state rejoiced.
"It's a huge win for the patients in Illinois," said Caprice Sweatt, founder and CEO of the Medical Cannabis Outreach, based in Canton. "They felt like they were under this really strict deadline."
Among the provisions that were signed into law was the extension of the pilot program by more than two years, to July 1, 2020.
The program, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2014, took nearly two years to fully get off the ground. Eight dispensaries across the state, including Salveo Health and Wellness in Canton, opened to patients on Nov. 9. 2015.
Since then, more than 30 additional dispensaries have opened and the roll of patients has grown to more than 8,000.
Salveo, says CEO Scott Miller, now has about 350 registered patients, mainly from Fulton, McDonough, Hancock, Henderson and Warren counties, way up from the 85 patients it had on opening day.
"Everything's been going great; our patients are just getting a ton of relief from the medicine," he said.
In June, sales of medical cannabis reached $2.57 million, bringing the total sales figure to $13.8 million since November.
The quality of the medicine being grown at Illinois dispensaries, including Nature's Grace and Wellness in Vermont, is excellent, Miller says.
"We have a lot of choices at the dispensary. The sophistication of the Illinois growers ... is just incredible. They're just as good as Colorado (where recreational marijuana is legal) or better," he said.
For Martha Mercer, one of the first two patients to purchase medical cannabis at Salveo on opening day, the extension of the program's deadline is a blessing.
"I won't have to become illegal," she said. Medical cannabis has "helped me so much. It really, really has helped."
One of the biggest positive changes signed into law by Rauner, as Mercer sees it, is the addition of post-traumatic stress disorder and terminal illness to the list of approved conditions.
Previously, there were 38 conditions for which patients could use medical cannabis and several attempts to get additional conditions added were unsuccessful.
"There are so many veterans ... and victims of abuse or tragic events. It's a horrible thing to live with," she said. "Many of these people are law-abiding citizens that are forced to do illegal things because the medicines provided to them just do not work."
Sweatt, who works with patients all across the state and advocates for safe, legal access to cannabis, says the addition of PTSD is likely to expand the reach of the program immensely.
"Studies show that cannabis does relieve the symptoms of PTSD," she said.
Many PTSD patients, as well as patients of other medical cannabis-approved conditions, are prescribed opioids to help relieve some of their symptoms, and the potential for suicidal thoughts is one of the first listed side effects of those medications, she said.
"It's a dangerous cocktail," Sweatt said.
Changing the process for doctor support for medical cannabis also will be a positive change for the program, Mercer says, and it is likely to help expand the availability of the medication to more people.
Instead of filling out a battery of forms in which medical cannabis specifically is recommended for a patient's conditions, physicians now will only have to affirm that a prospective medical cannabis patient suffers from one of the qualifying conditions.
"The doctor no longer has to say, 'I think marijuana can help'" a patient, she said. "It takes a lot of legal weight off the doctor's shoulders."
Salveo and MCO will host a joint informational meeting and registration event from 11 a.m. to noon Aug. 13 at the MCO offices, 3102 N. Main St., Canton. The public is invited to learn more about the Medical Cannabis Pilot Program, the potential benefits of medical cannabis for those who suffer from PTSD and other approved conditions and to begin the process of registering for a medical cannabis patient card.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Pilot Program Expansion 'A Huge Win'
Author: Michelle Sherman
Contact: (309) 647-5100
Photo Credit: Michelle Sherman
Website: Canton Daily Ledger
"It's a huge win for the patients in Illinois," said Caprice Sweatt, founder and CEO of the Medical Cannabis Outreach, based in Canton. "They felt like they were under this really strict deadline."
Among the provisions that were signed into law was the extension of the pilot program by more than two years, to July 1, 2020.
The program, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2014, took nearly two years to fully get off the ground. Eight dispensaries across the state, including Salveo Health and Wellness in Canton, opened to patients on Nov. 9. 2015.
Since then, more than 30 additional dispensaries have opened and the roll of patients has grown to more than 8,000.
Salveo, says CEO Scott Miller, now has about 350 registered patients, mainly from Fulton, McDonough, Hancock, Henderson and Warren counties, way up from the 85 patients it had on opening day.
"Everything's been going great; our patients are just getting a ton of relief from the medicine," he said.
In June, sales of medical cannabis reached $2.57 million, bringing the total sales figure to $13.8 million since November.
The quality of the medicine being grown at Illinois dispensaries, including Nature's Grace and Wellness in Vermont, is excellent, Miller says.
"We have a lot of choices at the dispensary. The sophistication of the Illinois growers ... is just incredible. They're just as good as Colorado (where recreational marijuana is legal) or better," he said.
For Martha Mercer, one of the first two patients to purchase medical cannabis at Salveo on opening day, the extension of the program's deadline is a blessing.
"I won't have to become illegal," she said. Medical cannabis has "helped me so much. It really, really has helped."
One of the biggest positive changes signed into law by Rauner, as Mercer sees it, is the addition of post-traumatic stress disorder and terminal illness to the list of approved conditions.
Previously, there were 38 conditions for which patients could use medical cannabis and several attempts to get additional conditions added were unsuccessful.
"There are so many veterans ... and victims of abuse or tragic events. It's a horrible thing to live with," she said. "Many of these people are law-abiding citizens that are forced to do illegal things because the medicines provided to them just do not work."
Sweatt, who works with patients all across the state and advocates for safe, legal access to cannabis, says the addition of PTSD is likely to expand the reach of the program immensely.
"Studies show that cannabis does relieve the symptoms of PTSD," she said.
Many PTSD patients, as well as patients of other medical cannabis-approved conditions, are prescribed opioids to help relieve some of their symptoms, and the potential for suicidal thoughts is one of the first listed side effects of those medications, she said.
"It's a dangerous cocktail," Sweatt said.
Changing the process for doctor support for medical cannabis also will be a positive change for the program, Mercer says, and it is likely to help expand the availability of the medication to more people.
Instead of filling out a battery of forms in which medical cannabis specifically is recommended for a patient's conditions, physicians now will only have to affirm that a prospective medical cannabis patient suffers from one of the qualifying conditions.
"The doctor no longer has to say, 'I think marijuana can help'" a patient, she said. "It takes a lot of legal weight off the doctor's shoulders."
Salveo and MCO will host a joint informational meeting and registration event from 11 a.m. to noon Aug. 13 at the MCO offices, 3102 N. Main St., Canton. The public is invited to learn more about the Medical Cannabis Pilot Program, the potential benefits of medical cannabis for those who suffer from PTSD and other approved conditions and to begin the process of registering for a medical cannabis patient card.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Pilot Program Expansion 'A Huge Win'
Author: Michelle Sherman
Contact: (309) 647-5100
Photo Credit: Michelle Sherman
Website: Canton Daily Ledger
