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The long wait for relief could be coming to an end for thousands of people who suffer from painful diseases or conditions, as medical marijuana sales were set to begin Monday at eight dispensaries across Illinois.
Public sentiments range from cautious to elated as Illinois prepares to join more than a dozen states that allow medical marijuana sales. There is still no official start date in Illinois, but Joseph Wright, director of the state's pilot program, said Thursday that sales should begin "within the next two weeks."
An advisory board voted Wednesday to add chronic pain syndrome and three other pain conditions to the list of illnesses that can be treated by marijuana in Illinois. The other types of pain approved Wednesday include chronic pain due to trauma, chronic post-operative pain and intractable pain.
Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration issued a broad rejection Thursday of expanding the list of diseases that can be treated with medical marijuana in Illinois, refusing to add osteoarthritis, migraine, post-traumatic stress disorder and eight other health problems.
For Jessica Harshbarger, something as simple as getting ice cream with her sons was almost impossible two years ago.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports the Illinois State Police stopped paying a special team of officer at the end of June while Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-controlled Legislature continue their disagreement over a budget that was supposed to take effect July 1.
The second annual My Compassion Cannabis Conference is aimed at bringing together industry leaders and patients, including some who came to share their success with medical cannabis.
The state of Illinois is having trouble finding a bank or financial company to process the large amounts of cash it anticipates receiving for taxes and fees from its new medical marijuana industry.
Patient numbers have been low so far in the Illinois medical marijuana program. A daylong event planned Saturday in Chicago aims to answer questions for patients who've been on the fence.
While the records remain closed to journalists and the general public, the disclosure represents a win for attorneys representing a disappointed applicant and may eventually shed light on a secretive process. The case is one of several similar lawsuits being closely watched by the new marijuana industry.
An advisory board is recommending a few more illnesses that should be allowed to be treated with medical marijuana, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
Monday's hearing is a step toward expanding the Illinois medical marijuana program to include PTSD and other conditions. An advisory board made up of patients, nurses, doctors and a pharmacist will hear testimony. The board will make recommendations to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Rauner was reacting to a bill backed by Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat who sponsored the original medical marijuana legislation. Lang's bill would extend the program four years from when the first dispensary begins officially operating.
Petitioners identifying themselves as veterans of Vietnam and Iraq asked that PTSD be included, making emotional pleas for help, according to 269 pages of petitions obtained by The Associated Press through the state's Freedom of Information Act.
Colorado's "green rush" has been nothing but a bust for Ryan Bailey. For the second time in about five years, Bailey is behind bars for allegedly opening a hefty package of marijuana that was shipped from Colorado to Chicago through the United Parcel Service.
There are now four lawsuits naming the Illinois Department of Agriculture as a defendant and 33 months left in the state's pilot program, which has been troubled by questions about background checks and how the government selected businesses.
The health department says about 19,500 people have started the patient registration process. Of those, about 2,700 have submitted at least part of the application. The tally is still far short of the number of patients the program's coordinator hoped would enroll in the first year.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports on why physicians seem to be leery, even if they have qualifying patients.
A Cook County judge ruled Thursday that a temporary restraining order delaying a medical marijuana cultivation center in northeastern Illinois can remain in place. Judge Kathleen Kennedy also ordered the plaintiff to post a bond of $200,000 to compensate for any harm caused if delays are later found to be improperly granted.
A Cook County judge is expected to hear arguments Tuesday on what documents should be part of the case. A Chicago company called PM Rx is suing the Department of Agriculture, claiming the agency broke its own rules when awarding marijuana cultivation permits.
Some African-American neighborhoods have a dearth of grocery stores. They also won't have any marijuana dispensaries, CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports.
Nicole Gross' 8-year-old son Chase was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was six months old. When medication didn't stop his seizures -- as many as 4,000 a day -- she and her sons moved to Colorado, where medical marijuana was legal and could help Chase, leaving her husband behind in Naperville.
A strip club owner was approved by the state Friday to sell medical marijuana from a West Loop storefront, the Sun-Times is reporting.
Gov. Bruce Rauner issued the licenses Monday after conducting an internal review that noted flaws in former Gov. Pat Quinn's handling of the license process. But Rauner's announcement didn't mention the lack of national criminal background checks for the new industry he'd just launched.
Illinois could be just a few months away from seeing the first medical marijuana dispensary open its doors, but there are still hurdles ahead for those on the state's new license list.
Mayor Brandon Johnson is marking three years in office, a term filled with a mix of wins and losses for the man in the chair on the 5th floor at City Hall.
Eighteen residents of the South Shore apartment building infamously raided in a military-style operation last fall have filed a tort claim against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
In a recent State of the Village address, Skokie, Illinois, Mayor Ann Tennes said the north Chicago suburb was in "very preliminary conversations" about an expansion of the CTA Yellow Line.
Police said that on April 2, the victim and suspect were involved in an argument when he allegedly pulled out a gun and shot the victim multiple times.
A man has been charged in connection with the theft of more than $100,000 worth of merchandise from an upscale resale boutique last year in north suburban Barrington.
Mayor Brandon Johnson is marking three years in office, a term filled with a mix of wins and losses for the man in the chair on the 5th floor at City Hall.
President Trump said Americans' financial situation isn't motivating him to make a deal, "Not even a little bit," and that he is only focused on preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
A month after Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed an attempt to halt any future scheduled pay hikes for tipped workers in Chicago, the City Council advanced a compromise to instead pause those raises for two years.
The operator of the Dali, a container ship that lost power and slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024, killing six people, is facing federal charges.
Democratic National Committee officials visited Chicago on Monday as the city made its official bid to host the party's 2028 convention – a rare move after having just hosted the event in 2024.
Chatham residents say they're losing a vital resource as Walgreen's prepares to close its store near 86th and Cottage Grove.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Chicago gas prices are spiking as the war with Iran drags on, with regular gas nearing $6 in some spots and premium already selling for more than $7 in some places.
In the legal venue of anti-trust enforcement, the state is not taking on the Trump administration, but rather filling a void that state officials say the Trump administration has vacated.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday announced an expansion to the city's CARE Program, a specialized team that responds to mental health crises without police.
A Texas couple is filing a lawsuit accusing the AI company of guiding their teenage son in using drugs, resulting in a fatal overdose.
An American on the repatriation flight began showing symptoms of hantavirus and another "tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes virus," the Department of Health and Human Services says.
More than 100 people from a cruise ship dealing with an outbreak of the rare and deadly hantavirus are set to be disembarked.
The largest U.S. health insurer said it will eliminate approval requirements for some treatments, including select outpatient surgeries and other procedures.
Flight attendants at Chicago-based United Airlines have approved a new labor contract, marking their first pay increases in six years.
The Chicago Fire FC announced Wednesday morning that its new stadium in the South Loop will be named McDonald's Park.
U.S. prosecutors allege a man with multiple aliases used the name of the famed Astor family to scam a Mexican billionaire out of $450 million.
Thousands of people marched from the West Loop to Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago on Friday for May Day, with activists calling for workers' rights, stronger labor protections, and increased school funding.
A $170 million-plus plan announced this week will redevelop the Water Tower Place mall on the Magnificent Mile.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.
Tickets for the 2026 Ravinia Festival season went on sale Thursday morning.
Mayor Brandon Johnson is marking three years in office, a term filled with a mix of wins and losses for the man in the chair on the 5th floor at City Hall.
Police said the victim was on the street near the sidewalk in the 6800 block of South Pulaski Road when he was hit by an orange Honda Pilot just before 11:15 p.m.
A CTA bus was hijacked and the driver held at knifepoint and made to drive for miles off-route overnight, Chicago police said.
Three people were arrested after an SUV crashed into a building in River Forest, Illinois, on Tuesday night.
Meteorologist Kylee Miller has the extended forecast.
A CTA bus was hijacked and the driver held at knifepoint and made to drive for miles overnight, Chicago police said.
The man who was killed in a hit-and-run crash on Chicago's Southwest Side on Tuesday night was identified.
Mayor Brandon Johnson is marking three years in office, a term filled with a mix of wins and losses for the man in the chair on the 5th floor at City Hall.
Eighteen residents of the South Shore apartment building infamously raided in a military-style operation last fall have filed a tort claim against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
In a recent State of the Village address, Skokie, Illinois, Mayor Ann Tennes said the north Chicago suburb was in "very preliminary conversations" about an expansion of the CTA Yellow Line.
People in Lincoln Park and Lakeview have rallied against a plan to build a new industrial ComEd electrical substation in their neighborhoods, pushing local and state leaders to get involved.
Monday marks one year since Illinois enacted Karina's Law — legislation aimed at taking firearms out of the hands of people accused of domestic abuse.
Tenants at a South Shore apartment building said they've noticed their rent fluctuating by hundreds of dollars a month due to a change in how their utility billing system is set up.
A man from the Chicago suburbs lost $69,000 of his savings to a scam by a thief using an AI-generated U.S. Marshals badge to intimidate him.
Illinois lawmakers are trying to decide what should happen when artificial intelligence leads to serious destruction or even death, and two of the most influential AI companies in the world are backing opposing state bills trying to answer that question.
The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox will face off in the first Crosstown Classic series of this summer with three games at Rate Field this weekend.
The Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs 5-2 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game set between the National League's top teams.
Chicago has come from behind in nine of its 20 wins. Kansas City has lost four of six following a five-game winning streak.
One of the best high school softball pitchers in the state takes the mound of a small school just south of Chicago.
It's on to the Grand Rapids Griffins, a team Wolves' head coach Spiros Anastas used to work for.
A Chicago-area man who ran a business helping people apply for asylum and immigrant visas was recently sentenced to nine years in prison for fraud and child pornography.
Alex Murdaugh was convicted of his killing his wife and his son at the family's home in 2021.
Chicago police on Wednesday morning were looking for two people who broke into a restaurant in Printer's Row in the South Loop.
One person was killed and two others were seriously wounded in a shooting late Friday morning in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.
Police across Chicago and the northern suburbs were investigating a string of overnight smash-and-grab burglaries targeting businesses.
