Adult-use of cannabis in Illinois has been legal for almost a month. However, some medical marijuana patients in Rockford are worried that the current shortage may affect their medication. Some like Alicia Neubauer says it is ‘terror’ not having the medicine. Alicia is a patient living with Triple Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer, which may leave her with intense pain without marijuana.
Most patients say that without using cannabis, they may not have any relief while sleeping at night. Alicia added:
“It’s important, and it helps to keep me asleep. It helps to prevent break through pain, keeping me awake.”
Most patients say that doctors prescribe opioid drugs for pain and nausea, but they choose cannabis. Cancer patients go for marijuana since the side effects of the other medications are quite severe. Since the legalization of adult-use of cannabis, the products are becoming harder to find, causing jitters among the patients.
According to Amy Manganelli, Mapleglen Care Center owner, the pharmacies are battling with growers trying to get the best products for their patients as quickly as possible. The dispensaries say patience is needed to get through the shortage, but it is quite hard to ask for patience.
Mapleglen Care Center has acquired all the proper licenses to sell recreational and adult-use cannabis. But it does not sell the recreational adult-use products since the supplies are unstable.
In that context, Rockford’s Sunnyside dispensaries released a statement last week saying that the medial patients are their top priority. They plan to remain open for these patients on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The dispensaries have chosen to reserve their supply to ensure that patients can always get their medicine from them.
How long will the shortage last, time will tell it all?
