Illinois' medical cannabis pilot program in trouble because of low patient numbers

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A shortage of doctors willing to sign medical marijuana cards has put the program in trouble in Illinois, barely before it gets off the ground.

Only 3,600 patients statewide have obtained them, according to David Friedman, who heads a firm that invests in and reports on the medical cannabis industry. Friedman had predicted that Illinois would have 30,000 patients with medical marijuana cards by now, and that 70,000 would have them by the end of 2017.

"By any stretch of the imagination we are well under those estimates," said Friedman, who heads up MJIC Inc. in Chicago. "Even with 30,000 or 70,000 patients, we're going to struggle to break even" before the pilot program ends.

Illinois is in the third year of a five-year pilot program. If Illinois' medical marijuana pilot program is in trouble, then its woes in large part stem from the experiences of prospective patients such as...

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