Republican Governor Bruce Rauner of Illinois has officially signed a bill into law this week that allows physicians in the state to temporarily prescribe marijuana for pain relief.
Any patient who is able to get a prescription for OxyContin or Vicodin and other pain medications from their doctor may be certified for medical marijuana.
Other medical cannabis patients, who have one of about 40 qualifying serious and often chronic conditions, will no longer need background checks and fingerprinting as part of the new law. Patients will also be able to get provisional approval to buy marijuana while their applications are being processed.
The law has gone into effect immediately and may help counter the growing opioid abuse problem that the nation faces.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 11,000 people have died from opioid overdoses since 2008. In 2016, opioid abuse killed nearly twice as many people as traffic accidents.
The House sponsor was Democrat representative Kelly Cassidy.
Despite signing the bill, Rauner is not in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana in the state.