While there are hundreds of health conditions that can potentially be helped by the use of medical marijuana, the state of Illinois only recognizes the following qualifying conditions for medical cannabis. In Illinois, these medical conditions are treatable using cannabis.
**Please note that this list of Illinois medical marijuana qualifying conditions will be changing as the law evolves. If you do not see your debilitating condition listed, please check back at a later date as we will be updating the list of qualifying conditions for a medical card in Illinois. Always ask your doctor if medical marijuana should be used to help treat your specific medical condition.**
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Although there is no cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, marijuana can be used to help relieve the symptoms of the disease, including loss of appetite and chronic pain caused by muscle spasms and/or stiffness. ALS, also more widely known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes loss of muscle control and coordination along the spinal cord, brainstem and motor cortex.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
The use of medical marijuana for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients may have a therapeutic effect in helping calm some of the common behavioral symptoms of autism and a positive result in their cognitive behavior.
Cancer
Patients use medical marijuana for cancer to help ease the symptoms that they are dealing with due to their chemotherapy treatments.
Chronic Pain
The use of medical cannabis for chronic pain may help those who deal with continual discomfort and persistent pain which interferes with their daily routines.
Epilepsy
Using medical marijuana for epilepsy may lessen the frequency of seizures and symptoms associated with this seizure disorder.
Fibromyalgia
For patients with severe fibromyalgia, medical marijuana has a plethora of benefits. Cannabis for fibromyalgia may have a positive effect on mood and provide some relief for chronic pain symptoms with the inflammatory properties of cannabis.
Glaucoma
Patients diagnosed with glaucoma, a disorder where there is optic nerve damage due to high eye pressure, may find that medical marijuana for glaucoma helps alleviate their symptoms.
HIV/AIDS
The use of medical marijuana for HIV and AIDS may act as an inflammatory agent easing some of the symptoms that HIV patients have as their immune systems break down.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease may obtain medical marijuana for IBD to seek relief of some of its painful symptoms.
Lupus
By using medical marijuana, lupus patients may feel less pain overall and could potentially slow the trajectory of the disease as it damages tissues in the body.
Migraines
Using medical marijuana for migraines may help alleviate the extreme pain and pressure that these intense headaches cause.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Patients with multiple sclerosis may find that medical marijuana for MS can ease the severe symptoms associated with this autoimmune disorder that breaks down the coating protecting the nerves, leading to limited or complete loss of functionality.
Parkinson’s Disease (PD)
Using medical marijuana for Parkinson’s disease may help alleviate the pain with PD motor symptoms and can benefit the associated non-motor symptoms of this debilitating neurodegenerative disorder.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
For individuals with PTSD, medical marijuana has been shown to improve some of the coping mechanisms developed after undergoing or observing a traumatic event.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Medical marijuana use for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may provide relief to RA patients dealing with certain symptoms associated with the autoimmune disease.
Spinal Cord Disease and Injury
Individuals who suffer from a spinal cord disease or injury are often at the mercy of their symptoms. The spinal cord is the tether that holds together the human body’s central nervous system. Many people who are afflicted with an SCD or SCI experience intense pain and muscle spasming and/or stiffness around the spinal cord. Medical marijuana can be used to help alleviate muscle twitching, jerking and spasticity by switching on the nerve receptors in the central nervous system that help to aid in muscle spasm. Cannabis can also be used as a natural painkiller and anti-inflammatory in cases with intense chronic pain as well as an appetite stimulant and sleep aid.
Additional Qualifying Conditions for Medical Marijuana in Illinois
The health conditions listed above have been approved as some of Illinois’ medical marijuana conditions where patients may use medical cannabis to treat their associated symptoms. However, there are even more debilitating Illinois MMJ conditions. Please see the following qualifying conditions for medical cannabis in Illinois:
- Agitation of Alzheimer’s disease
- Anorexia nervosa
- Arnold-Chiari malformation
- Cachexia/wasting syndrome
- Causalgia
- Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
- Crohn’s disease
- CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome Type II)
- Dystonia
- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
- Fibrous Dysplasia
- Hepatitis C
- Hydrocephalus
- Hydromyelia
- Interstitial cystitis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Myoclonus
- Nail-patella syndrome
- Neuro-Bechet’s autoimmune disease
- Neurofibromatosis
- Neuropathy
- Osteoarthritis
- Polycystic kidney disease (PKD)
- Post-Concussion Syndrome
- Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
- Residual limb pain
- Seizures (including those characteristic of Epilepsy)
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Spinal cord injury is damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity
- Spinocerebellar ataxia
- Superior canal dehiscence syndrome
- Syringomyelia
- Tarlov cysts
- Tourette syndrome
- Traumatic brain injury
- Ulcerative colitis