A huge number of people deal with chronic anxiety, either in the form of generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, or both(close to 40 million in the US). Many people in the Cannabis community believe that Marijuana can be used to help people treat and manage their Anxiety. For years, Benzodiazepines were the go-to medication for anxiety treatment. However, the addictive potential of Benzodiazepines as well as their toxicity presents real risks to patients and over the last 20 years or so physicians have moved away from common use of Benzodiazepines to other effective medications like SSRIs and in some states, even medical Marijuana. There is growing data to support the use of medical marijuana to help treat these kinds of illnesses. If you have used it yourself you may have experienced anxiety upon ingestion, even trying it just once. This in itself has turned many people off to the topic due to a lack of understanding and or a negatively impacted perception related to one's own personal experience. Though you or someone you know may get terrible anxiety from ingesting this powerful medicine, I am asking you to be open to the idea that for many people it can actually do the exact opposite. Research psychologist Carrie Cuttler recently found that anxiety "was the number two reason medical cannabis patients reported using cannabis". A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, had participants smoke medical marijuana at home, and rate their symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression using an app that’s designed to help people track how different doses affect their symptoms. The team found that high CBD/low THC was best for reducing short-term depression. Low CBD/high THC was most effective for reducing stress, while any type worked on anxiety. One of the most important underlying reasons that this change is being called forth is that those who do choose to use cannabis as a means of anti-anxiety treatment regardless of the current legal status, do not benefit from it as well as they potentially could. The reason for this is that when a person purchases cannabis from the street they have no idea which one out of nearly 800 strains that they are actually purchasing at the time. The study above explained how different strains with different levels of CBD or THC have different effects on people. A Sativa dominant strain with High levels of THC may very well greatly benefit one person while another would respond better to an Indica Dominant strain with higher levels of CBD. If someone so chooses to use this alternative medicine, we should at least allow them to have the ability to use something that would be most useful to each unique individual.  Adding Anxiety to the list of qualifying conditions would solve this particular problem completely. While other states in the U.S. are becoming more understanding and open-minded to the cause, Illinois residents are sitting by and watching outdated and unreasonable laws being amended all around the country. This petition has the power to incite a much needed change in this state. Our country is coming to it's senses and realizing that maybe allowing people who would prefer to medicate with a more natural alternative as opposed to the traditional prescription choice, isn't such a bad thing. On behalf of all the people that you would be helping, I ask that you please be a part of this much needed change in our state and help us to do something that will greatly benefit countless people.

Do your part & help incite a real change!