Dina Rollman, senior vice president of government affairs at Green Thumb Industries, was unsure about why the variance needed to end in the first place.
The variance instituted by the IDFPR, the regulatory arm of Illinois’s cannabis market, is centered around the security and recordkeeping subsection of the medical marijuana program law. The IDFPR did not respond to requests for comment. “It’s really great for those who are immunocompromised or who have physical limitations,” Rollman said. “Especially during a midwest winter when you can also add weather conditions. It’s really a nice offering to be able to let patients stay in their car and transact their business.
“It just didn’t make any sense to me,” said Michael Viles, 67, who has been a medical card holder since October 2019. “I’ve got a wife at home; she’s got [respiratory] complications. I can’t afford to drag any germs home with me, and I try to do every precaution I can.” There is a real need for options, especially for people living with disabilities as some medical patients are, said Laura Saltzman, transportation policy analyst at Access Living, a civil rights group dedicated to helping people living with disability.