Medical Marijuana Use In Illinois Is Up 80%

Cook County had the most people using medical marijuana, with 7,500 certified patients. In Winnebago County, the number is 459.

According to the Chicago Tribune:

More than 46,000 people have used medical marijuana in Illinois this year. Almost 75 percent of patients are more than 40 years old. More than 4,000 people used medical cannabis to treat PTSD, about 3,400 treated fibromyalgia and 2,500 people treated cancer. Other common qualifying conditions are spinal cord disease and injuries, traumatic brain injuries and post-concussion syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

An Illinois Department of Public Health report says that the number of doctors who certified patients increased to 3,000 this year, up from about 2,100 last year. Most physicians approved less than 25 patients each, though nearly 30 certified more than 100 patients each.

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed into law a measure that allows medical marijuana to be prescribed instead of opioid painkillers. The law also eliminates the fingerprint and criminal background check requirements that delayed applications.

My Stateline has a breakdown of medical marijuana users in the stateline region: