Pick your city
Every Illinois patient applies to the same agency, IDPH, through the same online system, and pays the same $50, $100 or $125. There's no city or county card. These pages cover what does vary: which county you're in, which nearby cities share your area, and where the local angle matters most.
What's the same everywhere
The application runs online, and the step-by-step guide applies statewide. The 2.5-ounce, 14-day allotment is statewide. So is the September 10, 2026 exemption from the purchaser excise and local cannabis taxes for patients at medical-licensed stores.
What varies is the adult-use side. Municipal cannabis taxes run up to 3%, and county cannabis taxes up to 3% inside municipalities or 3.75% in unincorporated areas. Those don't apply to medical sales, so the card's value is somewhat higher where local rates are at the top of the range. Our cost calculator leaves local taxes out, so it understates the saving.
Wherever you live, free application help is available through county and local health departments, and the state's map on our dispensaries page shows which stores near you sell medical.
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Sources
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General information about Illinois law as of October 2026, not medical or legal advice; IDPH and the statute control, and a licensed practitioner decides whether you qualify.