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On Monday, Illinois opened its first 5 dispensaries that sell medical marijuana after battling hard with the bureaucratic red tape since it was approved two years ago. This day brought a light of hope for as many as 3300 patients who have been medically authorized to buy the drug to combat conditions from HIV to cancer. Apart from Addison, the dispensaries opened in other areas of the town like Marion, Quincy, Canton and Mundelein. The first patient to walk out of the dispensary door carrying a stapled bag of medical marijuana was Bill Wilson, 52-years-old, who is suffering from intense back pain, reported Chicago Sun-Times.

There are states that have received the necessary approval to open dispensaries selling marijuana for medical purposes such as Evanston, Schaumburg, North Aurora and Ottawa. All these stores will be supplied with marijuana by a company called PharmaCannis. Bill Wilson told Chicago Sun-Times, "There's a stigma attached to this, and I hope that it disappears quickly. When you are in pain every day, it takes a psychological toll on you that is just, you can't believe it, because every day you're just miserable and you're snapping at people and you're irritable." When Bill Wilson took a trip down to Colorado where medical marijuana is legal, he experimented with the edible forms and was happy to learn that the results were encouraging.

Inside the dispensary, only the patients who have the permission can access the store. The reporters were not allowed to go inside. According to Gus Koukoutsakis, who owns a Addison store EarthMed said that he only has vaporizers for now but will stocking the edible ones too. He explained that layout inside these dispensaries, "It's designed like a medical facility," he said. However, it has a "much more comfortable lobby and waiting room" and a "very sophisticated security system." He further added, "As you walk in there's a vestibule with bulletproof glass where you present your medical ID. Once that's scanned, and it's verified you are a patient, then you're allowed to come into the stricter area of the lobby and waiting room", as told to Chicago Sun-Times.