Illinois Medical Marijuana Card Guide: Documents, Application & Renewal

To register for a medical marijuana card in the state of Illinois, you must have the following three documents ready to proceed.

Medical Marijuana Certification

Once your certification is completed by an MMJ Medics-certified healthcare professional, it will be sent to the Illinois state program on your behalf. It should be noted that veterans living in Illinois and getting their health care through Veterans Administration (VA) facilities will not require a physician’s certification. They may apply for it via a state program.

Identity Document

A valid Illinois Driver’s License or Illinois State ID card is needed. In case you do not possess an Illinois-issued ID, you may use a US Passport or an out-of-state ID, along with one additional proof of Illinois residency.

Proof of Illinois Residency (if applicable)

In case you are using a Passport or an out-of-state ID as your primary identification, you will need to provide one acceptable proof of residency. Proof of residency is any document proving your current address, such as a utility bill, bank statement, current property tax bill, voter registration card, or health insurance document.

Congratulations on getting your medical certification! It’s now time to fill out your state application via the Illinois Medical Cannabis Patient Registry.

There is one important deadline you should remember: according to state rules, you have to fill out your state application in no more than 90 days after the day of your MMJ Medics approval. If you miss that deadline, you’ll have to get another consultation, as per state requirements. In order not to pay for that additional consultation, be sure to file your state application in time.

Here is what you need to do next.

Before You Start, Have These Supporting Documents Ready

• A passport-style photo taken in the past 30 days on a white background.
• Documentation of age and identification, such as your Illinois Driver’s License, Illinois State ID Card, United States Passport, or an out-of-state ID, along with evidence of Illinois residency.
• Credit or debit card for payment of the state application fee.
• Benefit Verification Letter or DD214 (Veteran documentation) if applicable. 

Step-by-Step: How to Get Your Illinois Medical Marijuana Card

• Visit ilogin.illinois.gov and create an ILogin account.
• Enter all requested details and click on “Sign Up.”
• To activate your account, select “Set up” in the Email tab.
• After getting an email notification, click on “Verify your email.”
• Click on the “IDPH Medical Cannabis Patient Registry Program” logo to open the state portal.
• Accept the terms and conditions and click on “Next.”
• Select the application type. You should consult the instructions for minor patients from the Illinois Department of Public Health website if you are making the application for a minor patient.
• Fill all of the mandatory information fields and click on “Save & Next.”

Click on the Health Care Professional (HCP) Certification drop-down box on the following page.

• The certification number gets linked to your account automatically by entering your first and last name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your SSN.
• The certificate number starting with the prefix “PC” will get populated in the drop-down box. The providers from MMJ Medics strive to send your certificate on the same day as your appointment. If it does not happen within 24 hours after your appointment, contact the MMJ Medics Support Team. 

• Proof of identity will be uploaded in the next step. In case there is a requirement, upload your proof of Illinois residency.
• In case you require a caregiver, you can include them as part of the application on this stage. Complete instructions about adding a caregiver are provided through the IDPH portal.

Select the length of the card – you can apply for either 1-year, 2-year, or 3-year cards. As your MMJ Medics certification is good for 3 years, we highly recommend applying for the 3-year card to coincide with your certification.

• 1 year = $50
• 2 years = $100
• 3 years = $125 – Recommended

• Type your name in the space provided on the signature verification page to sign off digitally.
• Click “Pay Now.”
• Make the payment to complete your application process.
• Click “Go to Dashboard.”
• Click the “Generate” button on the View Provisional Letter tile to download your provisional letter. This letter will act as proof of your patient status till you get your physical card.
• After the processing period of 90 days from the state, your digital card will be ready to be accessed and downloaded through the IDPH portal. 

Additional Resources: Free in-person help is available for patients through participating local health departments across Illinois. Visit the IDPH website for a list of locations near you.

Important Reminder: Per state regulations, you must complete the state application within 90 days of receiving your MMJ Medics certification. Failure to do so may result in an additional consultation requirement and fee.

Illinois MMJ certificates have a validity period of three years and may be renewed totally online. According to MMJ Medics, it would be wise for patients to start the renewal process at least two months before their expiration date in order to ensure that there will not be a break in coverage.

In relation to the state card, patients can opt for a 1-year, 2-year, or 3-year card for prices between $50 and $125. Getting the 3-year card right from the beginning of the process would be the most convenient thing for you – your certificate and the state card have the same expiration date, so both documents can be renewed together every three years.

Should you have a 1 or 2-year card, then renewing it in time would be critical for you, as, according to Illinois state regulations, expired state cards cannot be renewed at all. If your card expires, you will need to obtain a totally new certification.

Here is a summary of the Illinois MMJ card renewal process:

• Login into your account on the MMJ Medics website or register as a renewing patient if you have not done so yet.
• Connect with an Illinois-licensed healthcare provider online through MMJ Medics.
• Your certificate will be submitted to the state through your last four digits of SSN once it gets approved by your provider.
• Log in to your account at the ILogin website at ilogin.illinois.gov. Your application status should read as “Pending Renewal” for you to move on with your renewal process.
• Submit your renewal application along with payment within 90 days. Your current medical card is still valid and active until the expiry date.
• After the expiry of your current medical card, you can download or print your renewed medical card from the IDPH website. 

There are two distinct types of renewals in Illinois, and knowing which one applies to you will help you avoid unnecessary steps and fees.

1. Extension Renewal

This is an annual renewal program intended for the patients who have not elected for a three-year card when initially enrolled in the Medical Cannabis Patient Program. Your MMJ Medics certification remains valid for three years; therefore, a new physician appointment is not necessary for this kind of renewal – you just prolong your state card for one more year.

2. Full Recertification Renewal

This kind of renewal applies to patients whose card has already served for three years or has expired. For this process, patients need to schedule an appointment with a certifying healthcare professional, like an MMJ Medics physician, for a new certification to proceed with the renewal process through the state.

Upon paying the renewal fee to the state, you’ll get an email confirmation. At this point, you may use your existing card until the end of its validity period.

It is important to understand that your new card’s expiration date won’t appear on your account until the expiry date of your existing card. Upon expiry of your card, you’ll get your new card within one day.

Renewal Reminder Emails from the State

• For Extension Renewals (one-year renewals): The IDPH will send you a courtesy reminder email about 45 days before the expiration of your card.
• For Recertification Renewals (three-year cards): The IDPH will send you a courtesy reminder email about five months before the expiration of your card. 

Keep an eye on your inbox and make sure your email address on file with the state registry is current.

Illinois has some of the more patient-friendly cannabis laws in the country, but there are still important rules every cardholder should be familiar with.

Possession Limits:

An authorized medical cannabis patient in the state of Illinois can lawfully possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis within 14 days, although, with a healthcare provider’s waiver, this amount may be increased depending upon one’s health requirements.

In the case of people involved with the recreational cannabis use of adults, Illinois residents are permitted to possess up to 30 grams of cannabis flowers, 5 grams of cannabis concentrates, or 500 mg of THC content in infused cannabis products. Nonresidents can possess up to 15 grams of cannabis flowers, 2.5 grams of cannabis concentrates, and 250 mg of THC-infused products.

Recreational Use is Legal:

Illinois became the 11th state in the country to legalize adult-use recreational cannabis in 2019 with the passing of HB 1438. Adults aged 21 and older can legally purchase cannabis at licensed dispensaries without a medical card.

Employment Protections:

Medical cannabis cardholders in Illinois are afforded certain employment protections under state law.

Who is Ineligible for an MMJ Card:

Certain individuals are not eligible to hold an Illinois medical marijuana card, including:

• Active duty law enforcement officers
• Correctional officers
• Correctional probation officers
• Firefighters
• Active school bus permit holders or commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders

State Taxes:

The rate of tax on medicinal marijuana purchases in Illinois is just the regular Illinois sales tax of 6.25%, along with any additional local taxes, not exceeding 3.5%. These are considerably lower compared to the rates applicable to recreational marijuana in the state, and hence, one of the few true tax benefits of having a medical card.

Cultivation at Home:

Growth of cannabis at home is legal in Illinois only for certified medical patients who have reached the age of 21 years. Such patients can grow a maximum of five flowering plants at once, and all these must be cultivated in a secure, private, and out-of-public-place.

Delta-8 and CBD:

According to the 2018 Farm Bill, all cannabis-related substances, including CBD, Delta-8, Delta-10 THC, and other minor cannabinoids, are legal at the federal level and do not require any further regulation by the state governments in Illinois.

Firearms:

Illinois is one of those few states where holders of the medical marijuana ID cards have the right to own firearms. They are eligible to obtain Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) cards and concealed carry permits in Illinois. However, the FOID card will be cancelled if the health professional finds the patient addicted to or habituated to using marijuana.

Patients younger than 18 years or those who cannot control their use of medical cannabis can appoint a caregiver to help them. Below is everything that you should know about becoming a medical cannabis caregiver in Illinois.

Application Process:

Caregivers have to fill out a registry identification card application through the Illinois online application portal. Alternatively, caregivers can access the printed version of the application online and submit it by mail.

Card Validity and Fees:

Caregiver registry ID cards are good for up to three years from the date of issuance. The card costs are dependent on how long the card will last and whether the person being cared for already has an active medical marijuana card.

Ashley’s Law:

Under Ashley’s Law, which came into force in 2018, minor patients who possess a medical marijuana card can get infused products in school or on the school bus. It is only a registered caregiver who can provide the said products to the child. The caregivers should be 21 years old to administer the cannabis products in school.

Caregiver Requirements:

To be and continue to be qualified as a caregiver in Illinois, one must:

• Be willing in writing to help the patient with his or her use of cannabis for medical reasons.
• Always carry the Medical Cannabis Patient Registry Card while using cannabis on behalf of the patient.
• Not have had a conviction for an offense which is excluded under the medical cannabis law in Illinois.
• Be the caregiver for one qualifying Illinois medical cannabis patient. 

Minor patients can access Illinois’s Medical Cannabis Patient Program, but there are specific rules and additional requirements that apply to them.

Caregiver Requirement:

All minor patients are required to have at least one designated caregiver, and at least one of those caregivers must be a biological parent or legal guardian of the minor.

Two Certifications Required:

A minor qualifying patient must receive two separate medical recommendations: a Health Care Provider (HCP) Certification and a Reviewing HCP Certification from two different healthcare providers.

Additional Rules for Minor Patients:

• The minor qualifying patient may designate up to three caregivers. One caregiver is provided free of charge in the application form for the medical cannabis card application of a minor patient.
• The minor qualifying patients do not have to attach their photograph when applying for the application.
• Caregivers of the registered minor patients can only purchase the products that contain medical cannabis from the dispensing organizations that are registered for the use of the minor.
• Medical marijuana cards of the minor patient are valid until the expiry date, despite the fact that the patient turns 18, 19, or 20 years old within the validity period. In case the patient would like to apply for the adult patient card during the validity of their minor card, information can be found on the IDPH website. 

Currently, there is no medical marijuana reciprocity program in Illinois for visiting patients. Patients from other states will not be allowed to purchase cannabis with their MMJ card. But, since cannabis use for recreational purposes is legal in Illinois, anyone above 21 years old can purchase medical cannabis from a dispensary in Illinois without needing a medical card.

But on the other hand, some states and territories allow the usage of an out-of-state Illinois medical marijuana card; thus, Illinois residents can visit these states and purchase medical cannabis. The following states and territories accept an Illinois MMJ card:

• Arizona
• Arkansas*
• Hawaii*
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Michigan (at the dispensary’s discretion)
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey*
• New Mexico
• Oklahoma*
• Puerto Rico
• Rhode Island
• U.S. Virgin Islands*
• Utah* (up to two 21-day periods per calendar year)
• Washington, D.C.

*States marked with an asterisk require visiting patients to complete a visiting patient application with the state program before making any purchases.

Understanding how Illinois got here helps put the current program in context.

• 1978 – The Cannabis Control Act technically allowed medical marijuana in Illinois, but it was never enacted or implemented by state departments.
• 2013 – House Bill 1 (HB 1) was approved and signed into law by Governor Pat Quinn as “The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act.” This landmark legislation established legal protections for patients and caregivers from arrest, prosecution, or denial of rights, and also laid out provisions for licensed cultivation centers and dispensaries.
• 2014 – The Department of Public Health released revised rules for the implementation of medical marijuana laws. Governor Quinn also signed Senate Bill 2636, allowing patients under the age of 18 to access non-smokable medical cannabis for all qualifying conditions available to adults, and adding epilepsy as a new qualifying condition.
• 2016 – Senate Bill 10 extended the Illinois Pilot Program through 2020.
• 2019 – Recreational cannabis was legalized with the passage of HB 1438. The Medical Cannabis Pilot Program was made permanent and renamed the Medical Cannabis Patient Program. Registered medical patients were also given the legal right to cultivate up to five plants for personal use.

At MMJ Medics, we streamline the entire process of medical marijuana certification in Illinois by making it quick and easy, all through the convenience of an online portal. We have a panel of doctors who are licensed in Illinois and who are available for telemedicine visits, hence no need for you to book an appointment at our clinic or travel anywhere outside your home. After being approved, the certification will then be submitted by your doctor to the Illinois Department of Public Health on your behalf. For both new and returning patients, MMJ Medics is the answer to all your questions regarding medical marijuana certification in Illinois.