CHICAGO (AP) — MEDICAL marijuana growers in Illinois have formed a political action committee and are spending money in an attempt to limit the market if recreational use of the drug is legalized in the state.

Medical cannabis businesses have contributed more than $100,000 to the newly formed Illinois Relief Fund, The Chicago Tribune reported.

The lobby is seeking to ban new cultivation licenses for a year or more once recreational use of the drug is legalized. Licensed medical cannabis growers say they should be automatically awarded recreational licenses. State regulators have approved licenses for 16 growers, which supply marijuana to the state’s 55 medical dispensaries.

One of the main groups seeking the license limit is the Medical Cannabis Alliance of Illinois, which represents numerous cultivation centers and dispensaries.

Growers that are currently licensed should be allowed to show they can handle the expected boom in demand if recreational cannabis is legalized, said Pam Althoff, a former state senator who is the alliance’s executive director. [Read More @ Chicago Tribune]