Apply For Your Illinois Medical Marijuana Card

Illinois has more than 50 allowable conditions approved for medicinal legalization in 2013, including:

• ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease
• Alzheimer’s disease
• An alternative to opioid treatment
• Anorexia nervosa
• Arnold-Chiari malformation
• Autism
• Cachexia/wasting syndrome
• Cancer
• Causalgia
• Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
• Chronic pain
• Crohn’s disease
• CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome Type II)
• Dystonia
• Ehler-Danlos Syndrome
• Fibrous dysplasia
• Glaucoma
• Hepatitis C
• HIV/AIDS
• Hydrocephalus
• Hydromyelia
• Interstitial cystitis
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Lupus
• Migraines
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Myasthenia gravis
• Myoclonus
• Nail-patella syndrome
• Neuro-Behcet’s
• Autoimmune Disease
• Neurofibromatosis
• Neuropathy
• Osteoarthritis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Polycystic kidney disease
• Post-concussion syndrome
• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
• Residual limb pain
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Seizures characteristic of epilepsy
• Severe fibromyalgia
• Sjogren’s syndrome
• Spinal cord disease (including but not limited to arachnoiditis)
• Spinal cord injury
• Spinocerebellar ataxia
• Superior canal dehiscence syndrome
• Syringomyelia
• Tarlov cysts
• Tourette syndrome
• Traumatic brain injury

To begin, make an appointment through Veriheal to find a certified Illinois doctor licensed from the state to certify patients for medical marijuana. After your 10-15 minute appointment with the practitioner, o​​ur physician will fill out the Physician Certification Form and submit it via mail to the Illinois Department of Health.

In order to complete your application, you will need to send a 2×2 inch passport photo that was taken in the last 30 days. It is important to make sure this photo is taken with a solid colored background with nobody else in the photo with you. The easiest option is to visit your local passport photo service location and have them take your photo.

Along with your application and a photo, you will need to provide two forms of proof that you are an Illinois resident.

Acceptable forms of proof include but are not limited to:

• Illinois Driver’s License
• Voter Card
• Bank Statements
• Utility bills with your name and address on them

Other than having a recommendation from your Veriheal physician, the Illinois Department of Public Health specifies that to qualify for the Illinois medical marijuana program, you must:

1. Be at least 18-years-old or older
2. Minors must have recommendations from two physicians and their legal guardian must give consent
3. Be an Illinois state resident with proof of residency.
4. Not hold a school bus permit or Commercial Driver’s License
5. Not be a firefighter, a correctional officer, an active duty law enforcement officer, or a correctional probation officer.

For an Illinois medical marijuana card that is valid for one year, the total cost is $225. The $175 fee from Veriheal includes your consultation fee, physician copay, and the medical evaluation for your recommendation.

The application fee depends upon the length of the registration in years. For a one-year card, the cost is $50, for a two-year card the cost is $100; and for a three-year card the cost is $125. The application fee is non-refundable.

A reduced application fee is available to those on social security disability income, supplemental security income, and for veterans. The reduced application fee is $25 for a one-year card; $50 for a two-year card; and $75 for a three-year card.

A registered caregiver is someone licensed to provide assistance to a register qualifying patient with the purchase and use of medical cannabis. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, an Illinois caregiver must be at least 21-years-old to purchase and help administer medical cannabis to a patient. Like the patient, the caregiver must also prove residency by submitting a driver’s license or state identification card. A caregiver must also undergo fingerprinting to prove they have not committed a felony. Lastly, a caregiver must submit a photo for card registration, which costs $75 with a patient application or $100 if applying without a patient.

Registered caregivers may serve only one (1) patient at a time, and can receive no compensation for their services.

Illinois defines an “adequate supply” of medical cannabis at 2.5 ounces for every 14 days based on the patient’s qualifying condition(s). This supply breaks down to 2.5 oz. possession imit over a rolling 14 day period and a maximum of 70 grams for a daily purchase limit.

Recreational users who do not have their medical marijuana cards may only purchase 30 grams per day and may only possess 1.05 total ounces of cannabis.

Illinois medical marijuana patients with an Illinois Medical Cannabis Registry Identification card can grow up to five cannabis plants over five inches tall within their residency.

Cannabis cultivation by recreational users who do not have their medical cards remains illegal.

To renew your Illinois medical marijuana card through Veriheal, you’ll need to schedule a renewal appointment with one of our physicians. They can confirm that you still need medical cannabis for your qualifying condition and help you with the renewal process. We will remind you when it’s almost time for your renewal appointment, or you can reach out to our Customer Service Department so we can assist you and apply a renewal discount for you.

When applying for your medical marijuana card in Illinois, you can register for cards that are valid for either one, two, or three years.