State of Illinois
Illinois Department of Public Health

ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT
Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act
July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018
As required by PA 098-0122

 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS
COMPASSIONATE USE OF MEDICAL CANNABIS PILOT PROGRAM ACT .................................... 3
MANAGEMENT OF OPERATIONS .......................................................................................................... 3
AMENDMENTS................................................................................................................................. 3
NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FILED .......................................................................................... 4
QUALIFYING REGISTERED PATIENTS BY AGE AND GENDER ........................................................................ 4
QUALIFYING PATIENT APPLICATIONS BY COUNTY OF RESIDENCE ................................................................ 5
DEBILITATING CONDITIONS ................................................................................................... 7
CERTIFICATIONS ISSUED BY TYPE OF DEBILITATING CONDITION .................................................................. 7
DESIGNATED CAREGIVERS ..................................................................................................... 9
TERMINAL ILLNESS ................................................................................................................ 9
REDUCED FEE REGISTRY CANDIDATES .................................................................................. 10
VETERANS..................................................................................................................................... 10
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY OR SUPPLEMENT INCOME RECIPIENTS.......................................................... 10
PHYSICIAN CERTIFICATION................................................................................................... 11
CERTIFYING PHYSICIAN ATTESTATIONS................................................................................................ 11
ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF MEDICAL CANNABIS......................................................................... 12
CULTIVATION CENTERS & MEDICAL CANNABIS DISPENSARIES.............................................. 14

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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

COMPASSIONATE USE OF MEDICAL CANNABIS
PILOT PROGRAM ACT
The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act (“Act”), Public Act 98-0122,
allows an individual who is diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition to register with the
state in order to obtain cannabis (marijuana) for medical use. The Act became effective on
January 1, 2014. Illinois was the 20th state to authorize a legal medical cannabis program. As of
June 2018, 31 states, Washington, DC, and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico have
legalized the use of the cannabis plant for medical purposes.
Public Act (P.A.) 98-0122 provides Illinois residents who have various debilitating conditions, as
defined by the Act, access to medical cannabis and protects patients with debilitating medical
conditions, as well as their physicians and providers, from criminal and civil liability. The Act
defines “medical use” as the acquisition; administration; delivery; possession; transfer;
transportation; or use of cannabis to treat or alleviate a registered qualifying patient’s
debilitating medical condition or symptoms associated with the patient’s qualifying condition.

Management of Operations
Three Illinois agencies oversee the process for providing and obtaining medical cannabis. The
agencies are:
1. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) operates a confidential registry of
qualifying patients authorized to engage in the medical use of cannabis and their
caregivers and distributes educational information about health risks associated
with abuse of cannabis and prescription medications.
2. The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDoA) provides registration and oversight of
cultivation centers.
3. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) enforces the
Act’s provisions relating to registration and oversight of dispensing organizations.
Additionally, the Illinois Office of the Secretary of State, State Police, and Department of
Revenue each has ancillary roles for program implementation.

Amendments
Since P.A. 98-0122 became effective, the legislation authorizing the pilot program has been
amended twice. In 2015, the Act was amended to allow persons under age 18 to obtain a
registry identification card. In July 2016, the pilot program was extended through July 1, 2020.
Additionally, Public Act 099-0519 added Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a debilitating
condition and allowed persons diagnosed with a terminal illness to apply for an expedited
medical cannabis registry identification card.

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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FILED
Between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018,
As of June 30, 2018, IIDPH approved
approximately 20,584 people completed an
application and submitted payment to the Illinois
applications for approximately 40,000
Department of Public Health (IDPH). During state
qualifying patients (including 274
fiscal year 2018, IDPH issued more than 18,000
persons under 18 years of age), since the
new registry identification cards to registered
Medical Cannabis Registry Program
qualifying patients, including 112 to people under
age 18. A total of 1,148 qualifying patients were
began accepting applications on
denied a medical cannabis registration
September 2, 2014.
identification card. The primary reason why
applicants were denied was because they did not respond to multiple attempts to correct
deficiencies in their application and/or their fingerprint background check reported that the
applicant had excluded criminal offenses. To date, 35 registry cards have been revoked;
primarly due to non-payment of application fees.

NUMBER OF REGISTERED ADULT
QUALIFYING PATIENTS
50000

39,808

40000
30000

21800

20000
10000

2,663

7,707

0
Adult Qualifying Patients

2015

2016

2017

2018

Qualifying Registered Patients by Age and Gender
Slightly more females (51.50%) applied for a medical cannabis registration identification card
than males (48.50%). During the time period of this report, July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018,
most of the qualifying patient applications were submitted by people between 51 and 60 years
of age (22.17 %). People aged 61 to 70 years of age (20.95%) and between 41 and 50 years old
(17.80%) comprised the next largest group of applicants. Almost 13 percent of applications
received from qualifying patients were from people over age 70. In the depiction following, the
complete data for number of approved applications by age is shown:

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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

NUMBER OF APPROVED MEDICAL CANNABIS
APPLICATIONS BY AGE
Greater than 70
13%

Less than 30
10%
31 to 40
16%

61 to 70
21%

41 to 50
18%
51 to 60
22%

Qualifying Patient Applications by County of Residence
Most registered qualifying patients reside in Cook County (7,492). Lake, DuPage, and Will
counties each have more than 1,200 registered qualifying patients. The following table
provides the number of qualifying patient applicants by county of residence for the period of
July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018.

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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

QUALIFYING PATIENT APPLICATIONS BY COUNTY OF RESIDENCE
JULY 1, 2017 TO JUNE 30, 2018

County of
Residence
Cook
DuPage
Lake
Will
Kane
McHenry
Winnebago
Peoria
Rock Island
Madison
Tazewell
Sangamon
Mclean
Champaign
La Salle
Saint Clair
Adams
DeKalb
Whiteside
Kendall
Grundy
Kankakee
Fulton
Williamson
Jackson
Effingham
Macon
Knox
Coles
Ogle
Franklin
Henry
Boone
Lee

Number of
Qualifying
Patients
7,492
1,650
1,529
1,207
694
675
459
392
383
365
365
364
275
237
228
225
198
178
171
169
146
141
130
126
119
118
110
96
92
92
87
81
78
71

County of
Residence

Macoupin
Woodford
Christian
Mercer
Stephenson
Hancock
Montgomery
Shelby
Vermilion
Marion
Carroll
Bureau
Union
Jefferson
McDonough
Saline
Logan
Morgan
Randolph
Livingston
Monroe
Mason
Fayette
Dewitt
Clark
Massac
Moultrie
White
Clinton
Johnson
Bond
Iroquois
Richland
Piatt

Number of
Qualifying
Patients
70
65
64
62
60
57
56
56
54
53
52
51
50
49
49
49
44
43
42
41
41
40
38
36
34
33
33
33
31
31
28
28
28
26

County of
Residence

Pike
Clay
Crawford
Jo Daviess
Marshall
Perry
Wayne
Cumberland
Jersey
Cass
Douglas
Lawrence
Jasper
Wabash
Warren
Schuyler
Ford
Greene
Menard
Washington
Gallatin
Hardin
Brown
Edwards
Hamilton
Pope
Scott
Stark
Edgar
Putnam
Henderson
Alexander
Pulaski

Number of
Qualifying
Patients
26
25
25
25
25
25
25
24
23
20
20
20
19
17
17
16
15
14
14
14
13
13
12
12
11
11
11
9
8
8
7
6
6

Note: Data for counties with fewer than 5 applicants are not reported due to the small number of applications.

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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

DEBILITATING CONDITIONS
Qualifying patients may be certified for a medical cannabis registry identification card under
one of the following conditions, specified by the Act:
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS); Agitation of Alzheimer's disease;
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS); Arnold-Chiari malformation and Syringomyelia;
Cachexia/wasting syndrome; Cancer; Causalgia; Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating
Polyneuropathy; Crohn's disease; CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndromes Type II);
Dystonia; Fibromyalgia (severe); Fibrous dysplasia; Glaucoma; Hepatitis C; Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV); Hydrocephalus; Interstitial Cystitis; Lupus; Multiple
Sclerosis; Muscular dystrophy; Myasthenia Gravis; Myoclonus; Nail-patella syndrome;
Neurofibromatosis; Parkinson's disease; Post-concussion syndrome; RSD (Complex
Regional Pain Syndromes Type I); Residual limb pain; Rheumatoid arthritis (RA); Seizure
disorders, including those characteristic of Epilepsy; Sjogren's syndrome; Spinal cord
disease (including but not limited to arachnoiditis); Spinal cord injury: damage to the
nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable
spasticity; Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA); Tourette’s syndrome; Traumatic brain injury
(TBI); and Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
An individual diagnosed with one or more of those conditions may qualify to apply for a medical
cannabis registry identification card. The qualifying patient must obtain a written certification
from a physician indicating medical cannabis would provide a therapeutic or palliative benefit
for the individual.

Certifications Issued by Type of Debilitating Condition
Between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018, qualifying patients who applied for a medical cannabis
registry identification card in Illinois were certified for the debilitating conditions as illustrated
on the following chart. 20 percent of all qualifying patients indicated posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) as their debilitating condition.

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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

QUALIFYING PATIENT APPLICATIONS BY DEBILITATING CONDITION
JULY 1, 2017 TO JUNE 30, 2018
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Severe fibromyalgia
Cancer
Spinal cord disease - arachnoiditis
Traumatic brain injury and post-concussion syndrome
999
Rheumatoid arthritis
931
Spinal cord injury
707
Multiple Sclerosis
653
Seizures (including those characteristic of epilepsy)
649
Terminal: Cancer
560
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy RSD (Complex Regional Pain…
447
Crohn's disease
438
CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndromes Type II)
415
Residual limb pain
403
Parkinson's disease
301
Glaucoma
297
Causalgia
248
Lupus
243
Spinal cord disease - Other
228
Positive status for human immunodeficiency virus
221
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
172
Cachexia/wasting syndrome
168
Sjogren's syndrome
153
Interstitial Cystitis
150
Dystonia
134
Hepatitis C
129
Myoclonus
90
Tourette's Syndrome
81
Agitation of Alzheimer's disease
67
Arnold-Chiari malformation and Syringomyelia
64
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
63
Muscular dystrophy
41
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
41
Terminal: All Others (not including cancer)
34
Myasthenia Gravis
30
Hydrocephalus
28
Neurofibromatosis
23
Spinal cord disease - Tarlov cysts
23
Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA)
21
Spinal cord disease - syringomyelia
20
Fibrous dysplasia
14
Spinal cord disease - hydromyelia
5
Nail-patella syndrome
4

0

500

1000

1704

1500

2000

2526

2500

3000

4151

3408

3500

4000

*Some qualifying patients may have more than one debilitating condition.

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4500

 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

DESIGNATED CAREGIVERS
A qualifying patient may identify a caregiver to assist with the use of medical cannabis.
Designated caregivers may enter a licensed medical cannabis dispensary and purchase medical
cannabis on behalf of a registered qualifying patient. A designated caregiver must be 21 years
of age or older and can only assist one patient with the use of medical cannabis. Between July
1, 2017 and June 30, 2018, IDPH approved more than 4,000 applications for designated
caregivers.

TERMINAL ILLNESS
Beginning in FY2017, patients diagnosed with a terminal illness were able to apply for a no cost
medical cannabis registry identification card valid for six months. Terminal illness is defined as
having a life expectancy of six months or fewer. The terminal illness application is expedited
and must be approved or denied within 14 days from receiving a complete application. The
terminal illness application is offered at no cost to the patient and there is no fingerprint
criminal history background check requirement. IDPH offers a free designated caregiver
application for patients applying under the terminal illness category to ensure the patient has
access to medical cannabis as their condition deteriorates. The terminal illness application
incudes a physician confirmation of the terminal illness diagnosis. Cancer was the most
common terminal illness diagnosis for qualifying patients who applied under this eligibility
category with 1,003 terminal cancer patients of 1,059 total terminal patients (nearly 95%)
diagnosed with cancer. Refer to the graph below to see further terminal illness conditions
identified.

TERMINAL PATIENTS BY DEBILITATING CONDITION
JULY 1, 2017 TO JUNE 30, 2018
Terminal Debilitating Condition
Cancer
Other
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Cachexia/Wasting Syndrome
Parkinson's
Agitation of Alzheimer's disease
Hepatitis C
Myoclonus
Seizures
Spinal Cord Disease
Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA)

Terminal Patients
1,003
33
7
6
3
2
1
1
1
1
1

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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

REDUCED FEE REGISTRY CANDIDATES
A reduced application fee is offered for qualifying patients who are veterans, or enrolled in
Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Veterans
Veterans who served in one of the five active-duty Armed Services or their respective Guard or
Reserve units and who were discharged or released from service under conditions other than
dishonorable are qualified to apply for the reduced application fee. During state fiscal year
2018, 1,500 veterans applied for a registry identification card. The number of qualifying
veterans in 2018 was almost five times more than in 2015.

VETERAN APPLICANTS QUALIFYING FOR
REDUCED APPLICATION FEE
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0

1,570
1,292

327

2015

409

2016

2017

2018

Social Security Disability or Supplement Income Recipients
Qualifying patients enrolled in Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), or Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) programs are also qualified to apply for the reduced application fee. In fiscal year
2018 more than 3,500 qualifying patients applied for the program under the reduced
application fee which is available to persons receiving SSDI or SSI in fiscal year 2018. The
number of applicants applying as a SSDI or SSI recipient has tripled since the program’s
initiation in 2014.

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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

SSDI OR SSI RECEPIENTS QUALIFYING FOR A
REDUCED APPLICATION FEE
4000

3,616

3500

2,991

3000
2500
2000
1500

1,139

1,437

1000
500
0
2015

2016

2017

2018

PHYSICIAN CERTIFICATION
The Illinois Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program requires a physician to
provide a written certification confirming the diagnosis of a qualifying debilitating condition for
patients seeking to apply for a medical cannabis registry identification card. A physician may be
a doctor of medicine or osteopathy licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 to practice
medicine and must have a current controlled substance license under Article II of the Illinois
Controlled Substances Act. No other licensed professional (including dentists) may recommend
a qualifying patient for medical cannabis use. Minor qualifying patient applicants must obtain
two physician written certifications, one recommending and one reviewing from two separate
physicians.

Certifying Physician Attestations
Qualifying patients are encouraged to consult with their physician about the use of medical
cannabis. The physician completes a certification document attesting the patient has a
confirmed diagnosis of one or more of the debilitating medical conditions defined in the
Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act. Physicians certify they have:
•

Established a bona-fide physician-patient relationship with the qualifying patient
applicant;

•

Conducted an in-person physical examination of the qualifying patient within the last 90
calendar days;

•

Completed an assessment of the qualifying patient’s medical history, including the
review of medical records from other treating physicians within the previous 12 months;
and
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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

•

Explained the potential risks and benefits of the medical use of cannabis to the
qualifying patient.

Between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018, more than 3,000 physicians, licensed in Illinois,
submitted written certifications for qualifying patients seeking to participate in the medical
cannabis program. The majority of physicians certified fewer than 25 qualifying patients each.
Twenty-nine physicians certified more than 100 patients each. In fiscal year 2018, nearly
24,000 physician written certifications were submitted.

ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF MEDICAL CANNABIS
A registered qualifying patient may purchase up to 2.5 ounces of medical cannabis during a 14day period. This amount of medical cannabis, called the “adequate supply,” is defined in
Section 10 of the Act. Purchases of medical cannabis can only be made at a licensed medical
cannabis dispensary.
The registered patient’s physician may submit a signed, written statement asserting that in the
physician’s professional assessment, 2.5 ounces is an insufficient adequate supply to properly
alleviate the patient’s debilitating medical condition or symptoms associated with the patient’s
debilitating medical condition. The waiver request must be accompanied by a $25 check or
money order from the patient. If IDPH approves the waiver, the amount of medical cannabis
recommended by the physician is noted on the registry identification card.
A total of 249 waivers were granted and the increased allowable medical cannabis requested
ranged from 2.6 ounces to 14 ounces. Slightly more than 85 percent of the waivers, sought for
the increased allowable medical cannabis, were between 2.6 ounces and 5 ounces;
approximately 14 percent between 5.5 ounces and 10 ounces; and less than 1 percent (1
patient) greater than 10 ounces (14 ounces).
In the figure on the next page, waivers granted by debilitating condition are shown. About a
third of all approved waivers were for individuals with multiple qualifying debilitating
conditions and cancer. Severe fibromyalgia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) followed
with about 22% of total waivers.

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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

ADEQUATE SUPPLY WAIVERS ISSUED BY DEBILITATING CONDITIONS

Reflex Sympathetic
Dystrophy (RSD)
3%

Seizures (including those
characteristic of
epilepsy)
3%

Multiple Sclerosis
3%

Traumatic brain injury
and post-concussion
syndrome
3%
Multiple Qualifying
Debilitating Conditions
20%

Crohn's disease
3%

Spinal cord injury
5%

Spinal cord disease arachnoiditis
5%

Cancer
19%

Terminal: Cancer
9%

Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD)
13%
Severe fibromyalgia
14%

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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

CULTIVATION CENTERS & MEDICAL CANNABIS
DISPENSARIES
The departments of Agriculture and Financial and Professional Regulation oversee the licensing
of cultivation centers and medical cannabis dispensaries. As of June 30, 2018, there were 22
licensed operating cultivation centers and 55 licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in Illinois.
The first licensed medical cannabis dispensaries opened to the public in November 2015.
The Act requires registered qualifying medical cannabis patients to select a medical cannabis
dispensary to purchase medical cannabis. An updated list of registered dispensaries is available
at https://www.IDFPR.com/Forms/MC/ListofLicensedDispensaries.pdf. Registered patients
may change their medical cannabis dispensary by notifying IDPH of their selection. The table on
the following page provides an overview of how many registered patients selected each
medical cannabis dispensaries as of June 30, 2018. Because registered patients may change
dispensaries as often as once every 24 hours, these numbers do not reflect the total number of
registered patients currently active.
Total medical cannabis sales since November 2015 for the period ending June 30, 2018 were as
follows:
•

Total retail sales since 11/2015 by licensed medical cannabis dispensaries $184,400,652.20

•

Total wholesale sales since 11/2015 by cultivation centers -- $105,952,532.72

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 Annual Medical Cannabis Registry Program Report – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

NUMBER OF REGISTERED MEDICAL CANNABIS PATIENTS BY
LICENSED DISPENSARY ON JUNE 30, 2018
Dispensary 33 (Dist. 44)
The Clinic Mundelein (Dist. 27)
EarthMed (Dist 24)
3C Compassionate Care Center (Dist. 24)
MOCA/Modern Cannabis (Dist. 48)
Greenhouse Group, LLC (Dist. 33)
MedMar Rockford, LLC (Dist.16)
HCI Alternatives (Dist.11)
PharmaCannis Health & Wellness (Dist.31)
3C Compassionate Care Center (Dist. 29)
Greenhouse Group, LLC (Dist. 29)
The Clinic Effingham (Dist. 12)
Seven Point (Dist. 36)
PDI Medical (Dist. 27)
The Herbal Care Center (Dist. 48)
Trinity Compassionate Care Centers (Dist. 8)
Nature's Treatment of Illinois (Dist.7)
HCI Alternatives (Dist. 9)
Zen Leaf St. Charles (Dist. 26)
Mindful Dispensary (Dist. 24)
Harbory (Dist. 13)
Windy City Cannabis (Dist. 38)
Nature's Care Company (Dist. 30)
Windy City Cannabis (Dist. 40)
MedMar Lakeview (Dist. 44)
Salveo Health & Wellness Dispensary (Dist.14)
Elevele (Dist.27)
PharmaCannis Health & Wellness (Dist 26)
PharmaCannis Health & Wellness (Dist. 34)
Midway Dispensary (Dist. 43)
The Dispensary (Dist.1)
NuMed East Peoria (Dist.8)
Midwest Compassionate Center (Dist.29)
Herbal Remedies Dispensary (Dist.20)
The Green Solution Illinois (Dist. 6)
New Age Care (District 32)
PharmaCannis Health & Wellness (Dist 17)
Phoenix Botanical (Dist.10)
Windy City Cannabis (Dist. 37)
Greenhouse Group (Dist. 25)
NuMed Urbana (Dist.10)
Columbia Care IL (Dist. 41)
Mapleglen Care Center (Dist 16)
Thrive Harrisburg (Dist.19)
FloraMedex (Dist. 35)
Maribis of Springfield (Dist.9)
Zen Leaf Chicago (Dist. 41)
Thrive Anna (Dist. 22)
Windy City Cannabis (Dist. 39)
The Green Solution Illinois (Dist. 11)
Greenhouse Compass (Dist.18)
Mission Illinois (Dist 42)
Maribis of Chicago (Dist. 43)
GreenGate Chicago (Dist 46)

1,159
1,156
1,027
977
938
857
845
839
806
744
740
739
737
736
695
688
683
655
634
634
628
597
577
574
554
539
518
511
480
479
445
445
441
401
400
380
363
338
329
323
322
298
298
258
243
236
235
224
147
129
78
35
0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1,405
1,373

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1400

1600