COVID-19 Medical Cannabis Guidance
Medical Cannabis Patient Program (MCPP)
Notice to All New Medical Cannabis Patient Program Applicants
Beginning 12/01/2020, IDPH will no longer accept paper applications for the Medical Cannabis Patient Program.
The elimination of paper applications is a preliminary step toward the conversion of our registry to a new system in early 2021. This system will not allow for paper submission in any of the application processes. All patients who hold active registry cards will be receiving more information prior to implementation.
Paper applications and fees received after 11/30/2020 will be returned with instructions for online application submission.
Provisional Access to Medical Cannabis Dispensaries
On February 1, 2019, IDPH began issuing provisional (temporary) access registration cards to persons who apply on-line for the Medical Cannabis Patient Program https://medicalcannabispatients.illinois.gov
If the qualifying patient submits an application for MCPP on-line before 6 PM CST, they can download their provisional (temporary) registration card the following day, after 8:30 AM. It is recommended the patient call their dispensary to verify their provisional registration card is active before driving to the dispensary location dispensary.
Please follow the instructions below to download and print your provisional medical cannabis registration:
- Please click https://medicalcannabispatients.illinois.gov/Activities/Listing.aspx?ID=240 to login to the online portal with your user ID and password.
- Once logged in, select “Online Services” in the top right corner
- Under Activities, select “Provisional Registration”
- Click “Print Provisional Registration”
The provisional registration card is valid for up to 90 days.
Qualifying for MCPP
To qualify for a patient registry identification card, a qualifying patient must:
- Be a resident of the State of Illinois at the time of application and remain a resident during participation in the program;
- Have a qualifying debilitating medical condition;
- Have a signed physician certification (unless you are a veteran receiving medical care at a VA facility);
- Be at least 18 years of age;
- Not hold a school bus permit or Commercial Driver’s License (CDL); and
- Not be an active duty law enforcement officer, correctional officer, correctional probation officer, or firefighter.
Make sure your physician completes the Physician Written Certification Form and gives the form back to you for submission with your application. You must scan the form and save it as a .pdf document to upload it with your on-line application or include the original document with your paper application. The physician certification must show an in-person office visit date within the last 90 days.
DO YOU NEED A CAREGIVER TO ASSIST WITH THE USE OF MEDICAL CANNABIS?
A caregiver can assist you with the use of medical cannabis. A caregiver MUST have a valid registry card to enter a medical cannabis dispensary with or without the patient. Consider designating a caregiver when you apply for a medical cannabis registry identification card. Complete the Designated Caregiver Application and submit the required documents with your patient application.
Read more about Forms - Medical Cannabis Patient Application