Illinois launches opioid alternative pilot program
Chronicle Media — February 3, 2019
The state expects 12 to 15 medical cannabis dispensaries will be registered by the end of the November.
Individuals looking to register for the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program (OAPP) can now do so on-line through the Illinois Cannabis Tracking System at https://etk.icts.illinois.gov.
The OAPP, which is part of the Medical Cannabis Pilot Program (MCPP), was created through the Alternative to Opioids Act of 2018.
The OAPP allows access to medical cannabis for individuals who have or could receive a prescription for opioids as certified by a physician licensed in Illinois.
The Opioid Alternative Pilot Program was designed to provide people with an option to manage their pain.
Opioids can be highly addictive in a very short period of time and this program offers qualifying individuals an alternative.
The first step is for individuals to see their physician. The patient’s physician must complete a certification using the Illinois Cannabis Tracking System.
After the physician certification, patients will create a user account to register online, at a licensed medical cannabis dispensary, or at a local health department that offers assistance.
Along with the physician certification, a passport-like photo, copy of driver’s license/state ID, proof of Illinois address, and $10 payment are required.
Once all the required information is uploaded into the system and the payment is submitted, the individual will receive an electronic medical cannabis registry card.
The registered patient must present the eRegistry card at the dispensary they selected to purchase medical cannabis as soon as the same day.
The OAPP registration is valid for 90 days. If the physician agrees the patient should continue to use medical cannabis, a new registration can be submitted for another 90-day period.
The OAPP and MCPP are two separate registration systems. An individual cannot be enrolled in both programs at the same time. Should an individual who is registered in the OAPP want to apply to the traditional MCPP, their OAPP registration will be cancelled at the time they apply to MCPP.
Beginning Feb. 1, 2019, individuals who apply for the traditional MCPP will receive provisional access to dispensaries for a period of not more than 90 days while IDPH reviews their application.
Individuals who applied to the MCPP on-line between Dec. 1, 2018, and Jan. 31, 2019, will receive notification about their provisional access to a dispensary provided they applied with an email.
If they did not provide an email, they can obtain more information about how to update their application information via the IDPH website.
More information about the OAPP and the MCPP can be found www.dph.illinois.gov website.
