Part I of this series detailed the difficult, time consuming, and courageous work behind the process of how the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) added female orgasmic disorder to the list of qualifying debilitating condition for medical patients in the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program. Part II of this series sheds light on the long process for approval for the other three conditions (endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and uterine fibroids) that also were approved.

IDPH officially announced endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and uterine fibroids as qualifying conditions Jan. 9, 2025, but again, without the work from individuals and a nonprofit, these condition probably would have not been considered, let alone approved. Chicago NORML was instrumental in the approval process. Deputy Director, Felicia Santiago, spearheaded the project with a network of help. The submission process began in early 2023. The Chicago NORML team acquired from the public the signatures for the petitions, and Dr. Ryan Buck and Registered Nurse Rebecca Abraham added physician and patient testimony. Registered Nurse Ebony Smith provided medical journals and credible research to support each petition. The petitions for ovarian cyst, endometriosis, uterine fibroids and PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) were submitted July 2023.

The Medical Cannabis Advisory Board (MCAB) hosted its first virtual meeting Aug. 7, 2023, but did not meet again until March 11, 2024. After a preliminary vote in March, MCAB member took an official vote to recommend endometriosis (and female organismic disorder) at the May 13 meeting. At the May meeting, board members discussed whether to include Ovarian Cyst and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome but did not have time left to consider Uterine Fibroid and Generalized Anxiety. After robust discussions that included personal experiences and a suggestion to add the descriptor “Painful” in front of Ovarian Cyst for a second vote, board members voted 8-3 to include Ovarian Cyst. When the condition name changed to Painful Ovarian Cyst, the vote increased to 10-1. The board ultimately voted 5-4 (with two abstentions) to not recommend Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome as a qualifying condition.

During the June meeting, MCAB members voted to recommend Uterine Fibroid and Painful Uterine Fibroid but did not recommend Generalized Anxiety as a qualifying debilitating condition. The four recommended qualifying conditions were endometriosis, female organismic disorder, ovarian cyst, and uterine fibroid. IDPH officially announced the new conditions Jan. 9, 2025.

“We needed to see that medical patients are being heard,” said Chicago NORML Executive Director, Arianne Richards. “A lot of the feeling has been since recreational passed in Illinois the cannabis medical community has been forgotten. No new conditions have been added since August of 2019. These women’s health conditions are important to us because they are very common among women, and there weren’t any conditions listed that many women suffer from, including myself. Many women with these conditions have been self-medicating.”

The next step for the Chicago NORML team is building relationships with researchers. “That is the biggest challenge,” Richards said. “There isn’t a lot of research out here to back up how cannabis can help with certain conditions. That’s why PCOS failed this time around. Chicago NORML is in the process of building relationships with researchers in order to get movement on this. We plan to keep going and getting more health conditions added to the list of qualifying conditions. We listen to what people tell us they self-medicate for and will continue to advocate for them.”

Not mentioned in Part I or Part II as playing a significant role in the approval of the four new conditions are the MCAB members. The Advisory Board is composed of 16 members appointed by the Governor. Nov. 4. Governor JB Pritzker appointed a new Chair and Vice-Chair to MCAB for the Illinois Department of Public Health. Pritzker appointed current board member Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple as Chair and current board member Jim Champion as Vice-Chair, two positions that had to be filled by law. For more Illinois cannabis industry news, subscribe to Illinois News Joint’s newsletter here.

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