Illinois State Medical Society invites you to their event

Cannabis in Illinois: A Public Health Update Two Years into Legalization

About this event

Over two years ago, the state of Illinois legalized recreational cannabis purchase and use for adults. This was approximately 2 years after the state had instituted a medical cannabis program, where patients with qualifying conditions, including minors, could purchase certain amounts of cannabis. The creation of a medical cannabis program, followed by legalization of purchase and use of recreational cannabis was met with a fair degree of skepticism in the medical community; there were many physicians who outright opposed both medical cannabis and recreational cannabis; many who were comfortable with medical cannabis but opposed to outright legalization; and many who were accepting of all that has transpired so far.

Now that medical cannabis has been legal for 4+ years, and recreational cannabis has been available for sale and use for 2+ years, the medical community does not have a comprehensive understanding of the impact of these laws on public health. Doctors have expressed a desire to better understand the overall impact of these changes and want to see data on, for example, car crashes as a result of cannabis use; increased ER visits related to cannabis use; increased diagnoses of psychoses and other mental health issues; and, any overdose data. Physicians want to hear how our state Department of Public Health is reacting to the changing landscape and the myriad problems that have arisen due to legalization. Physicians also want to know more about our state's Opioid Alternative Pilot Program, which allows doctors to authorize expedited patient access to medical cannabis in lieu of writing a prescription for a Schedule II opioid.

A lack of overall understanding of the prevalence of cannabis - both medical and recreational - in our communities and in our state may prevent physicians from discussing cannabis with their patients, and may directly impact the care or medical advice given to patients in clinical settings.

Who can attend

Registration is limited to ISMS members and their employed staff. All others must pay $150 to attend. To pay, please email hpresearch@isms.org for instructions.

Learning objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, learners will be able to:

  1. Recognize the public health perspective in Illinois as a result of cannabis legalization;
  2. Provide an update on the Illinois Medical Cannabis Patient Program following recreational cannabis legalization; and
  3. Identify the Opioid Alternative Program launched by the IL Department of Public Health in January 2019.

Accreditation

The Illinois State Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit designation

The Illinois State Medical Society designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ . Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure

There are no relevant financial relationships with ACCME-defined commercial interests for anyone who was in control of the content of this activity.