Illinois is broke.  More people are moving out of the state than coming in, the state has approved the public paying for abortions for Medicaid recipients and state workers, and Illinois has decided that it shouldn't follow immigration laws.  But the AP has spotted the biggest problem: not enough people are buying medical marijuana.

The investors aren't recouping their investment, so we've got to find a way to get more people buying pot.  One solution the people running Illinois have come up with is to get people who are hooked on opioids to start buying medical marijuana instead.  My guess is that there is no proof that this will help, but what the heck – we need to try so investors can make more money.

I have always joked that the only cure for my hangnail or paper cut is medical marijuana, but that is not far off from the truth.  These people keep adding more ailments to be eligible to get more customers instead of being happy that fewer people are getting drugs. 

From the article:

Illinois could see changes this year that expand access to medical marijuana, as operators say the number of patients allowed to buy the drug is too low to recoup investments.

Retail sales of medical cannabis in Illinois only topped about $9.3 million last month in the state's pilot program, the Chicago Tribune reported.  Operators said the low patient count stems from constraints that state law imposes on the program, which is set to expire in 2020.

Revolution Enterprises' two marijuana cultivation facilities in the state are operating at less than 30 percent capacity, said Mark de Souza, the company's CEO.

"Current market conditions just dictate that we have to operate as lean as possible, assuming extremely slow growth in the overall market," de Souza said.  "We can't plan any other way, and that's what makes being a businessperson in this industry a little more challenging."

Operators have also said making marijuana available to patients who currently depend on opioids for chronic pain could provide significant relief and help curb opioid addiction.  Illinois doesn't currently allow medical cannabis access to patients with chronic pain.

I had no idea that the goal of the government and taxpayers in Illinois is to make sure these investors make money.  Why doesn't the state figure out a way to keep residents in Illinois so retail stores that don't sell medical marijuana survive?

This story reminds me of the way government treats all problems.  No matter how much of a failure a program is, government just throws more money at it.  When the government is broke, these people don't figure out what to cut; they figure out how to confiscate more money out of the people and businesses.

When electric cars don't sell according to government projections, the bureaucrats increase mandates and tax credits.  We've got to make sure to subsidize rich people buying toys to pretend they care.  Last year, around 200,000 electric cars were sold – around 1.2% of total sales, and that is just not good enough.

When Obamacare passed, the CBO projected that 26 million would be signed up for the exchanges by 2016.  The actual number was 11 million, and it is declared a raging success.

When we hit record cold temperatures, we are told that global warming and humans are part of the cause.  Just repeat the same garbage over and over again, and journalists will repeat it, too, with no questions asked.  The agenda is way more important than facts.

When medical marijuana use is lower than projected, we should celebrate instead of figuring out more ways to get people to use it.  There should be no obligation for Illinois or taxpayers to make sure these investors who took the risk make a lot of money.

Capitalism and the private sector, not government, are what made the U.S. the greatest economy that gives the most people the opportunity to move up the economic ladder.