Illinois Pain Patients Can Ditch Opioids for Medical Cannabis Under New Program
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap] new program that allows patients suffering from pain to use medical cannabis as an alternative to opioids launched in Illinois, with lawmakers hoping it will help reduce the amount of fatal opioid overdoses in the state.
The Opioid Alternative Pilot Program (OAPP), the first of its kind in the U.S., allows access to medical cannabis for patients who have or could receive a prescription for opioids from a licensed physician in Illinois. Previous attempts have been made to pass legislation to allow cannabis instead of opioids, however the bill failed to pass.
The state’s existing medical cannabis program, which was established in 2014, is considered one of the strictest in the country. Patients need to see their physician, who must complete a certification using the Illinois Cannabis Tracking System. Patients will then need to create an online account, which can be done at a local health department or dispensary.
“Along with the physician certification, a passport-like photo, copy of driver’s license/state ID, proof of Illinois address, and $10 payment is required,” IDPH spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said.
Once approved, patients will be allowed to purchase up to 2.5 ounces of medical cannabis every two weeks for a 90 day period. Physicians can renew the certification for patients, but they will need to pay the $10 registration fee again. Prior to the opioid alternative program, patients had to be diagnosed with one of 40 qualifying conditions to be prescribed medical cannabis. Cannabis advocates have encouraged an expansion to the list, citing failure to include chronic pain.
Illinois has already seen steady growth in the cannabis industry with dispensary sales exceeding $130 million in 2018. The medical cannabis program is sure to see a surge in the number of medical cannabis patients as a result of the new program and more importantly a decrease in overdose deaths.
