Illinois could not gather enough votes to pass the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Bill when the legislature adjourned at the end of May, nor could it prevent the closing of 49 schools from the state’s largest public school system in May or pass pension reform in July. But Illinois managed to pass the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act on Thursday after being signed by Gov. Pat Quinn, setting the state up for a four-year medical marijuana trial program. 

While it’s frustrating that the Democratic majority in the General Assembly remain stagnant in passing other legislation, legalizing medical marijuana is a progressive step for Illinois. Nineteen states, including Washington, D.C., have passed medical marijuana laws; Quinn has long said he’s “open-minded” to the idea of medical marijuana. 

Marijuana in general remains illegal on the federal level, but medical marijuana has been gaining momentum since Colorado and Washington recently legalized its use recreationally. Illinois’ laws are touted as the strictest in the nation, designed to keep medical marijuana within state borders and out of the wrong hands. 

Medical marijuana licenses from other states won’t be valid in Illinois, and the drug itself can only be distributed and obtained among 60 dispensing centers, supplied by 22 licensed growers. To obtain a medical marijuana prescription, patients must have an existing relationship with a prescribing doctor and a diagnosis of one of nearly 40 serious illnesses. 

While the laws regarding possession limits may be lenient (four other states cap possession limits at 2.5 ounces along with Illinois, eight states have specified lower limits), other provisions make Illinois’ law particularly stricter. Requiring an existing relationship with a doctor ensures that medical marijuana is distributed practicably in confidence of a professional relationship. Setting predetermined distribution sites, requiring 24-hour video surveillance of cultivation centers and employee background checks ensure these laws are enforced. 

However, it’s important to acknowledge the law’s purpose, too. The fear is that, now, marijuana overall will see increased use because it is more easily accessible and condoned, in part, by law. Yet in Colorado, which legalized medical marijuana in 2000 and recreational use of marijuana in 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that while marijuana use in a 30-day period among high school students rose nearly 2 percent from 2009 to 2011, it decreased about 3 percent in Colorado.

But regardless of legalizing it, marijuana will most likely continue to be grown and consumed illegally, as it has done so operating in the black market. But, at least we know in Illinois, people with ulterior motives likely won’t be able to obtain a prescription or fill it at one of several legal cultivation centers under the law’s strict guidelines. So, while legalizing medical marijuana may not curb use, at least it will be regulated, just as prescription opioids, depressants and stimulants are. 

Implementing the strictest medical marijuana laws in the country will hopefully manifest into a well-regulated, functional system for Illinois. Although the state legislature has struggled to pass other progressive laws, this medical marijuana bill could be the non-partisan, reaching-across-the-aisle framework through which a marriage or pension bill could be passed. The bill’s chief House sponsor Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, has high hopes, “Pain and suffering for many chronically ill and terminally ill individuals will be significantly lessened … because of Gov. Pat Quinn’s courage to sign a controversial bill that often has been subjected to distortions and fear mongering.”