For the first time since 2019, Illinois regulators have approved new medical conditions to qualify for medical cannabis, all centered around women’s health.

Endometriosis, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids and female orgasmic disorder were approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health, at the recommendation of the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board.

While other treatments may be effective at shrinking fibroids and cysts, which marijuana will not do, medical cannabis may relieve pain associated with those conditions, said board co-chair Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple

She was pleased to see state regulators approve the conditions, after a nearly six-year drought without new approvals despite prior board recommendations.

The state has approved 56 conditions for medical cannabis, including cancer, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis and terminal illness.

The list allow doctors to recommend cannabis for their patients with those conditions. Getting a medical cannabis card requires a doctor’s approval and a $50 annual fee; it allows patients to buy cannabis from state-licensed stores without paying recreational pot taxes that can reach as high as 45%.

Some customers may consider medical approval moot since adults 21 and over may legally buy recreational or “adult use” marijuana from any licensed dispensary.

But the distinction still matters, Mendoza Temple said, and not just for saving money. It also allows each patient or caregiver to buy up to 2.5 ounces at a time, rather than one ounce for recreational use, and to grow up to five plants at home.

She said she wished the board had more authority over other aspects of medical cannabis, such as allowing drive-through sales, or expanding medical sales to more than 220 dispensaries statewide, rather than just the 55 approved medical cannabis stores. Regulators said they are working on legislation to expand patient access to any dispensary in the state.

Among the new conditions, endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, which can result in severe pain, scarring and infertility. Female orgasmic disorder is a condition where a woman has difficulty reaching orgasm, which may have a variety of causes. Data suggest cannabis can be helpful for both conditions, the health department reported.

“Medical cannabis has been shown to offer an effective means of relief from a variety of debilitating medical conditions and symptoms,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra “IDPH reviews petitions carefully using expert opinion and the most up-to-date evidence to make decisions that best serve Illinois residents.”

There were about 138,000 active medical cannabis patients in Illinois at the end of 2024.

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