The Christian County Prevention Coalition will host an informational forum on medical and recreational marijuana as well as opioids at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in the Janice Hopper Auditorium at Taylorville Memorial Hospital.

Conny Mueller Moody, deputy director of the Office of Health Promotion and Medical Cannabis with the Illinois Department of Public Health will be the guest speaker. The program is titled “Medical Cannabis in Illinois: Where Are We Today?”

Her presentation will cover the state’s Medical Cannabis Pilot Program and the work the state is doing to reduce opioid deaths with the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program.

The program is free. No registration is required. Participants are asked to enter through the hospital’s main lobby.

Christian County Prevention Coalition’s mission and purpose is to work for a community free of abuse by our youth of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs by mobilizing the community through education and support of programs.

Moody’s office oversees a variety of programs including oral health, newborn screening follow-up, chronic disease, vision and hearing, and medical cannabis. 

Since 2014, Moody has led the department’s efforts to develop and implement the Medical Cannabis Pilot Program and most recently designed the launch of the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program.

Moody is a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and SIU School of Medicine on health policy issues and is active in the Illinois Public Health Association where she serves as treasurer.