No. Medical cannabis registry cardholders receive one important carve-out: the per se 5 ng/mL THC threshold under 625 ILCS 5/11-501 does not automatically trigger a DUI conviction. However, the state can still prosecute under the actual impairment prong. That means field sobriety cues, driving pattern, and officer observations become the entire case. The chicagoduilawyer.net brand sees this often: cardholders assume protection they do not have. Registry status shifts the prosecution theory rather than eliminating it. Officers are trained to build impairment records specifically because they know cardholders will challenge per se application at Cook County suppression hearings.
