An Illinois-licensed health care professional can certify your qualifying condition for the IDPH Medical Cannabis Patient Program. TSA's guidance changed in 2026 — here's what that does and doesn't mean.
Illinois's Medical Cannabis Patient Program is run by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
An Illinois-licensed physician, APRN, or physician assistant certifies your qualifying condition.
Apply online with ID and proof of Illinois residency, and choose a 1-, 2-, or 3-year card.
Shop at dispensaries that serve medical patients while IDPH reviews your application.
Show your registry card on your phone or in print, with photo ID.
After state-licensed medical cannabis moved to Schedule III in April 2026, TSA changed its website — but the full picture is still unsettled.
TSA's "What Can I Bring?" page began listing medical marijuana as allowed in carry-on and checked bags, with "special instructions."
TSA hasn't published those instructions and has said its baseline policy hasn't changed. Officers don't search for drugs, but can refer what they find to police.
Your Illinois card is for Illinois. Your destination's laws apply when you arrive — and never travel internationally with cannabis.
O'Hare and Midway have cannabis amnesty boxes before the security checkpoints, so you can dispose of it before screening.
Simple rule: until TSA publishes clear instructions, the safest choice is to leave cannabis at home when you fly.
Based on TSA's What Can I Bring? listing as of 2026 and published reporting. Adult-use cannabis remains in Schedule I. General information only, not legal advice.
One-year card ($25 reduced)
Three-year card ($75 reduced)
Patient state tax rate, with no cannabis excise tax
Per 14 days for registered patients
Fees from IDPH. Reduced fees apply to qualifying veterans and SSI or SSDI recipients. The certification visit is separate.
IDPH recognizes dozens of debilitating conditions. A sample:
Also: adults 21+ with a condition for which an opioid has been or could be prescribed can use the separate Opioid Alternative Patient Program, with renewable 90-day certifications. See the full list from IDPH.
The dispensary closest to O'Hare, EarthMed in Rosemont, describes itself as adult-use; EarthMed's Addison store serves medical patients. Other neighboring suburbs have dispensaries that serve patients too.
Find dispensaries that serve patients on the state's dispensary list, which highlights them.
A quiet lake in Lake Park with a loop path — a calm stretch away from the airport traffic.
“I travel for work every month. Until TSA spells out the rules, my medicine stays home and I plan around it.”
— Elena V., Des Plaines“Chronic pain from an old injury qualified me. I chose the three-year card and haven't thought about it since.”
— Tom B., Des PlainesTSA's site lists medical marijuana as allowed with "special instructions," but no instructions have been published, and your destination's laws still apply. The safest choice is to leave it at home.
Use the amnesty boxes before the security checkpoint.
Federally regulated safety-sensitive aviation jobs have long required drug testing that doesn't accept medical cannabis. Ask your employer how the 2026 change applies to your role.
$50 for one year, $100 for two, or $125 for three — or $25, $50, or $75 for qualifying veterans and SSI or SSDI recipients.
On the IDPH Medical Cannabis pages.
Des Plaines sits along the Des Plaines River on the northwest edge of Chicago, right beside O'Hare International Airport. It's where Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald's franchise in 1955, and today it's a busy suburb of commuters and airport workers. Des Plaines residents follow the same statewide rules as every patient in Illinois's Medical Cannabis Patient Program.
The medical program operates under the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program Act (410 ILCS 130). Adult-use sales for those 21 and older began in 2020 under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.
Public use is prohibited and driving impaired is illegal. Federally, state-licensed medical cannabis moved to Schedule III in 2026, but it remains a controlled substance, and adult-use cannabis remains in Schedule I. See IDPH for current rules.
Appointments with Illinois-licensed health care professionals.