SPRINGFIELD, IL — If you've got an opioid prescription, you may soon by able to get a medical marijuana card in Illinois. A bill allowing prescription opioid users to apply for a temporary medical marijuana card passed the Illinois Senate Executive Committee with a 16-1 vote Wednesday.

Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, case the lone vote against the proposal, which was sponsored by Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. Dubbed the Alternatives To Opioids Act, the bill could help those struggling with chronic pain without having to turn to opiates. In November, Harmon said he hopes the legislation could combat the opioid crisis that continues to claim lives in Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Public Health opposed the bill, saying IDPH staff don't have the staff to turn around temporary medical marijuana applications for opioid users by a proposed 14-day deadline. Some Senators voted in favor of the bill but said the two-week turnaround could be amended before the bill goes to a vote before the full Senate, according to the Peoria Journal-Star. Under the bill, once an opioid user's application is approved, the patient would receive a medical marijuana card good for a year.

"Research has shown that medical cannabis can treat the same conditions for which opioids are prescribed," Harmon said in a statement in November. "With thousands of people from every part of our state dying from opioid addiction, it would be irresponsible for us to not consider any safe alternative treatment." In December, multiple Illinois counties filed a lawsuit against drug companies including Johnson & Johnson and Purdue Pharma, alleging that they were the catalyst for the opioid crisis.

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