CHICAGO — Next month, state officials will hear impassioned arguments from Illinoisans who suffer from 14 illnesses they believe can be treated with medical marijuana, thanks to a Wicker Park consulting clinic that is lobbying for the petitioners.
According to a news release issued by Wicker Park's Good Intentions, 1723 N. Ashland Ave., patients who've used their services accounted for 12 of 22 petitions who will be reviewed by members of the Illinois Division of Medical Cannabis's advisory board on May 4.
There are more than 20 debilitating medical conditions that the state has approved for medical marijuana treatment, including cancer, glaucoma, HIV, hepatitis C, ALS, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and more (view full list).
Good Intentions would like for the state to add the following illnesses: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anorexia nervosa, anxiety, chronic post-operative pain, essential thrombocythemia with JAK 2 mutation, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine, Neuro-Behcet's autoimmune disease, neuropathy, osteoarthritis and superior canal dehiscence syndrome.
Alisa Hauser discusses the upcoming hearing:
As of April 1, Melaney Arnold, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health, which oversees program registration, said some 2,700 people have submitted applications, of which 2,000 have been approved. But nearly 20,000 people have logged onto the state's electronic system either to access information or start the application process, Arnold told the Tribune.
In a news release issued Tuesday, Good Intentions CEO Tammy Jacobi credited her "remarkable staff and dedicated patients" as the reason the company has been able to submit thorough yet succinct petitions.
"Good Intentions has helped thousands of patients and we're experts in all aspects of the medical marijuana field. The State of Illinois accepted every petition we submitted because we're knowledgeable and hardworking," Jacobi said.
Jacobi said the Good Intentions patients named in their petitions each will be submitting a written letter of intent to the Illinois Division of Medical Cannabis, informing the board of their desire to share their personal stories.
After the public hearing, the board will make a recommendation to the director of the state Health Department about those debilitating conditions or diseases that would benefit from the medical use of cannabis and should be considered for addition to the program, according to a state Health Department update.
Good Intentions set up shop in fall of 2013 for the purpose of enrolling patients and prescribing marijuana for when the state law goes into effect. Potential patients initially were charged a $99 fee ahead of their evaluation, but Jacobi said on Tuesday that consulting services are "currently free of charge."
The firm cannot dispense marijuana, though a nearby dispensary, Modern Cannabis (recently renamed from "Modern Medicine Dispensary), at 1368 N. Milwaukee Ave., won one of the coveted dispensary business licenses and is scheduled to open this summer.
For more information, visit Good Intentions' website. The hearing is set for 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 4 at James Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St.
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