Whenever you say the word ‘kids’ and ‘medical marijuana’ in the same sentence, people that are on the fence about marijuana cringe. They almost always get visions in their heads of grade school kids smoking joints and who knows what else. The fact of the matter is medical marijuana and children is a very serious issue. Medical marijuana can be safely consumed by children without them experience any euphoric effects from the plants, which is something that many people that haven’t researched medical marijuana are unaware of.

In rare cases, medical marijuana is the only thing that can help a very sick child. Fortunately that’s something that the State of Illinois is recognizing. Illinois recently passed rules providing for access to medical marijuana for children. Per KSDK:

The state of Illinois will expand its medical marijuana program to children starting January 1st. Tuesday, officials posted emergency rules explaining how kids will be covered under the new law. Children with health conditions like seizures from epilepsy will be able to use non-smokable forms of marijuana. However, they’ll need two doctors to sign forms that state the patient will benefit from the program.

If you live in Illinois, and want to learn how to become an Illinois medical marijuana patient, click this link here. It will still be a while before patients in Illinois get access to medical marijuana. Patients can not grow medical marijuana for themselves in Illinois, and instead have to purchase medical marijuana from a licensed dispensary who obtained the medicine from a licensed grower. Licenses have still not been awarded in Illinois, but are expected to sometime in 2015.