Medical Cannabis Now Has Political Pull in Illinois

A federal judge in Chicago has overturned a law barring medical cannabis companies from contributing to political candidates and campaigns in the state of Illinois. Judge John Z. Lee who ruled on the three-and-a-half-year-old statute stated that, “by singling out medical cannabis organizations, (the law) appears to reflect precisely such a content or viewpoint preference,” and added that this law is in violation of the First Amendment.

This case stems from a 2015 lawsuit in which Libertarian Party members Claire Ball and Scott Schluter tried to secure campaign donations from the medical cannabis industry, but were thwarted by the Medical Cannabis Pilot Program, which was enacted in 2013. The Pilot Program allows patients suffering from debilitating medical conditions to apply for a medical cannabis card to receive treatment but there are strict regulations and guidelines attached to the program like the campaign contribution rule. When the program began there were 39 qualifying conditions. Today there are just over 40 (with the addition of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) conditions that qualify to treat almost  17,000 patients.

The lawsuit, brought forth by Ball and Schluter, claimed the Pilot Program law was unconstitutional and violated the right to free speech. Typically in similar situations where institutions are prohibited from making political contributions it’s because there are signs of corruption, but this was not the case for the medical cannabis lawsuit, as there was nothing that led to that conclusion. Both candidates, running for controller and state representative, were unsuccessful in their campaigns but do plan on running again.

While the cannabis industry is accustomed to working around very strict and frequently changing regulations, it is argued that medical cannabis businesses should be able to operate just like any other legitimate business. This includes speaking on political platforms and participating in the law making process.