Judge Orders Illinois to Reconsider Migraines for Marijuana Use

By Susie An
MEDICAL MARIJUANA MIGRAINES
In this Sept. 15, 2015, file photo, marijuana plants with their buds covered in white crystals called trichomes, are a few weeks away from harvest in the "Flower Room" at the Ataraxia medical marijuana cultivation center in Albion, Ill. Seth Perlman / AP
MEDICAL MARIJUANA MIGRAINES
In this Sept. 15, 2015, file photo, marijuana plants with their buds covered in white crystals called trichomes, are a few weeks away from harvest in the "Flower Room" at the Ataraxia medical marijuana cultivation center in Albion, Ill. Seth Perlman / AP

Judge Orders Illinois to Reconsider Migraines for Marijuana Use

By Susie An
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A Cook County judge is ordering the state of Illinois to reconsider putting migraine headaches on the list of approved conditions for the state’s medical marijuana program.

A man who has been suffering from migraines filed a lawsuit against the state. He remains anonymous because he’s been using marijuana illegally to treat it.

The state commissioned Medical Cannabis Advisory Board makes recommendations to the Illinois Department of Public Health for conditions that should be added to the medical marijuana program.

IDPH has denied adding migraines and other conditions to the list of qualified illnesses for marijuana use. But Thursday, a Cook County judge ordered the department to reconsider its rejection of migraine headaches.

Joseph Wright used to oversee the implementation of medical marijuana policy in Illinois. He says the court ruling bodes well for other illnesses the state denied.

“I think there is going to be more momentum for some of those conditions to be included. It may or may not come in the form of being forced by a court to do so,” he says.

Last month, a different Cook County judge ordered the state to add post traumatic stress disorder to the medical marijuana program. Governor Bruce Rauner signed off on legislation that extends the pilot program to 2020 and adds PTSD and terminal illness to the list of approved conditions.

Susie An is a reporter for WBEZ.