Medical marijuana debuts in Illinois but some patients turned away

This week marks a special occassion for many residents in Illinois as the state's 2-year-in-the-making medical marijuana program finally begins. Illinois's medical marijuana bill has received criticism for it's strict rules, and the level of difficulty to aquire for legitimate patients. Even after waiting 2 years since the bill passed, some patients were turned away on opening day due to incomplete registration. The stringent medical pot system in Illinois will surely make changes within it's 4 year pilot-program, but more patients are expected as well as more shops now that the long-awaited program has begun. 

Some patients were turned away because they had not yet registered online with one dispensary, as required. Some said they didn't have time to register since receiving their IDs as recently as Friday or Saturday.

Many of the patients said they hoped marijuana would allow them to reduce their use of painkillers and other prescription drugs and the side effects they produce. One recent study found that states permitting medical marijuana had a relative decrease in opiate addictions and overdose deaths compared to states that do not