What the Law Says on Medical Marijuana Dispensary in Chicago

Under the law, patients who meet certain requirements can obtain and use marijuana legally with a doctor’s recommendation. For the most part, these rules do not affect individual patients, as long as they cultivate solely for personal medical use and limit their growing area to 100 square feet. Primary caregivers can cultivate up to 500 square feet for the personal medical use of up to five patients without falling under the new rules. Recreational use has also recently been legalized in Chicago, but all marijuana use remains illegal under federal law.  If you’re thinking about opening a medicalmarijuana dispensary in chicago, here’s what you need to know.

Common questions about medical marijuana

Patients with a doctor’s recommendation can grow or possess larger quantities of marijuana than recreational users. In addition, if you are under 21, you must have a doctor’s recommendation to purchase marijuana. Note that some medicalmarijuana dispensary in chicago have discontinued sales to patients under 21, even with recommendation, to fit within recreational dispensary rules. Finally, a county-issued medical marijuana ID card exempts you from tax on marijuana purchases.

Doctors do not prescribe marijuana. Federal law specifically prohibits prescription of Schedule I drugs, including marijuana. Instead, doctors can recommend marijuana for appropriate conditions. Patients who are living with cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief are mentioned. Physicians have recommended marijuana for numerous other conditions, including insomnia, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and many more.

Most medicinal marijuana recommendations are made by doctors who specialize in evaluating patients for recommendation, rather than the patients’ usual physician. The recommending doctor should review patients’ existing medical records before making a recommendation, including reviewing any other medications the patients are already using.

Cities and counties may raise the limits on quantity if they choose (although more than 100 square feet would subject the individual to the new licensing requirements.) They can also impose zoning restrictions preventing medical marijuana dispensary in chicago or prohibiting outdoor cultivation, so check local codes.

A Medical Marijuana ID card is optional—patients do not need to get one to use medical marijuana legally, just a doctor’s recommendation. However, it can be very useful. It exempts the patient from paying taxes on marijuana purchases. In addition, the ID card prevents law enforcement from arresting a patient with permissible amounts of marijuana (which may exceed the legal recreational limits).

Return of marijuana seized during a police stop or arrest

Law enforcement officers sometimes confiscate (seize) marijuana from medicalmarijuana dispensary in chicago during investigations, whether or not they arrest the patient. The patient is entitled to the return of the property, but in some cases, it is not as easy as just requesting it back.

If the police department will not return the marijuana upon request, the patient can file a motion for return of property. Information and samples for doing this are available at the Law Library.