By Lori Anne

For more than a year, I have contemplated becoming a registered cardholder in Illinois’ Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program. I have been diagnosed with more than one debilitating condition, as defined in the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act. However, my nearly retired small-town doctor in rural central Illinois did not believe in recommending cannabis as treatment for my medical needs.

At that time, I worried about the stigma of having the medical card as a grandmother who has nearly twenty grandchildren. Although legal, I felt like people would show opposition or judge, but once other treatment options did not help my ailments, I finally turned to cannabis.  And it worked. So I decided I wanted to become a register medical patient but was not sure where to turn, until Illinois News Joint referred me to Compassionate Clinics of America.

I wanted to talk to a real person and not have to fill out a long online form, so I called CCA and gave my intake information to Nurse Wiley, who was incredibly knowledgeable about the process and made me feel at ease. We set up my telephone appointment for the CCA medical provider to call. I admit I was nervous.

During my phone-call appointment, Dr. Monika and I discussed my qualifying conditions and different strains to try to alleviate specific pains. The process could not have been simpler, and though I had built up anxiety about the appointment, the nurse and doctor certainly calmed my apprehensions.

I was approved for my card, and approximately 24 hours later, I had my appropriate paperwork to prove I was a registered medical patient in Illinois’ Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program. All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and I wished I had done it earlier.

After several weeks of successfully treating my ailments with cannabis as a patient in the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program, I am a healthier and therefore better grandma. Now, I’ve decided as a medical patient in Illinois to take advantage of the best perk and grow my five legal plants to save money and learn more about the plant and its treatment options.

To qualify and receive a medical patient card at a discounted rate, click here.

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