Rauner Mulls Medical Marijuana For Opioid Patients

SPRINGFIELD, IL — A bill that could possibly be a game-changer for opioid patients is now in the hands of Governor Bruce Rauner. The bill, sponsored by Oak Park legislator Sen. Don Harmon (D), would permit opioid patients to temporarily take part in the state's medical marijuana program to get short-term access to medical marijuana.

The Alternatives to Opioids Act, directed at patients with chronic pain whom are often treated with opioids, was passed in both the House and the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support in late May.

The act would waive the medical marijuana program's criminal and background checks for "an individual diagnosed with and undergoing treatment for a medical condition for which an opioid has been or could be prescribed may receive medical cannabis under specified conditions."

The Alternatives for Opioids Act will also expedite the application process for opioid patients. Once approved, patients over 21 will receive a medical card effective for one year.

The hope is that providing medical marijuana as an alternative will reduce the risk of opioid overdose and addiction in a state where opioid use has skyrocketed. In 2016, 1,946 Illinois residents lost their lives to opioid overdose, according to the Department of Public Health. That's an 82% increase from the 1072 opioid overdose deaths reported in 2013.

Related: Give Opioid Users Access To Medical Marijuana: Senate Committee

Sen. Harmon said in a news release, "Opioid addiction takes the lives of thousands of Illinoisans every year," adding, “We should be open to any reasonable alternative treatment – and no one has ever died of a cannabis overdose.”

The pilot program proposed by the act would be effective through 2020.

Related: Illinois Doctor Fighting Opioid Epidemic With Marijuana

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