After years of discussion, medical marijuana is about to become a reality in Illinois.
The State announced Friday that sales of medical cannabis will be allowed Monday at eight dispensaries located across the state, half of them here in the Chicagoland area.
Only four of the so-called cultivation centers have cannabis that is ready for harvest. Officials expressed cautious optimism that there would be enough product to supply the eight dispensaries on opening day.
The director of the state program said today that as many as seven more dispensaries are expected to be registered by the end of this month, with a total of 25 possible by the end of the year.
The Illinois Department of Public Health says about 33-hundred patients have qualified for the program statewide. They will be able to begin making purchases Monday morning.
