Investors who won a chance for a license to sell recreational marijuana in Illinois have filed a lawsuit asserting it’s illegal to give other applicants a second chance. The legal action sets up a potential court battle over when to hold a lottery to award 75 new retail licenses. Three finalists filed a petition asking […]
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
Illinois recreational marijuana sales hit record of nearly $68 million in September
The recreational weed business keeps growing in Illinois, with the state’s adult use cannabis dispensaries generating nearly $68 million in sales during September. The new sales record, reported Monday by the state, tops August sales by nearly $4 million. It includes more than 1.4 million items sold, also a record since Illinois legalized recreational marijuana […]
Ex-pot regulator, now on Cook County Bd., offered paid help to weed shop hopefuls
Bridget Degnen was among multiple ex-state employees who have sought to cash in as officials award the next round of highly lucrative pot shop licenses. After serving as one of Illinois’ top cannabis regulators, Cook County Commissioner Bridget Degnen pitched herself as an expert last summer as she offered to write applications for a group […]
Governor’s team to meet to address complaints about marijuana licensing process in Illinois
Amid a flurry of complaints that the marijuana licensing process is broken, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office announced Wednesday that his team will meet with those affected to address the issue. “The Governor’s office is currently working to schedule meetings with interested stakeholders, however, meeting dates and times have not been finalized,” Pritzker’s press office wrote […]
Finalist for Illinois marijuana dispensary licenses also works for firm that graded applications
Hamd Kamal is a risk management consultant for KPMG, which is being paid nearly $4.2 million through a no-bid contract with the state to evaluate applicants. An employee of the global accounting firm that was awarded a no-bid contract to grade applications for the state’s next round of pot shop licenses is also a partner […]
Lawsuit seeks to delay cannabis license lottery, alleges state picked 21 ‘politically-connected insider companies’
Two unsuccessful marijuana dispensary applicants are suing the state, hoping to hit the pause button on its plans to hand out 75 marijuana licenses. Awarding of the licenses is more than four months behind schedule and last week, the state announced that only 21 of 700 applicants would proceed to a lottery for the 75 licenses. Some lawmakers and […]
Illinois: 75 cannabis shop licenses to be awarded in lottery that includes just 21 applicants; losing firms ‘shocked’
State officials announced Thursday the next round of long-delayed and highly sought after cannabis dispensary licenses will be awarded in a lottery later this month. The 21 qualifying applicants for the 75 new licenses were informed after a global accounting firm finished grading 1,667 applications, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. […]
Illinois marijuana stores told to let medical patients buy more than recreational customers under new state guidelines
Marijuana stores should take concrete steps to prioritize medical patients over recreational customers, state regulators said Friday. Cannabis dispensaries should keep one sales window open for medical patients, may not reserve products for recreational customers, and must allow medical patients to buy up to 2.5 times any limit they set on recreational products, under new […]
Customers bought nearly $40 million in recreational marijuana during the first month of sales in Illinois
Customers spent more than $39.2 million on recreational marijuana during the first month of legal weed sales in Illinois, and about a quarter of that came from out-of-state residents. Sales to Illinois residents totaled more than $30.6 million, according to numbers from the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Out-of-state residents spent more than […]
You can apply to run a recreational pot shop in Illinois starting Tuesday — but hurry
State regulators will start accepting applications Tuesday for the next round of licenses to operate recreational pot shops in Illinois. Applications will be accepted until Jan. 2 — the day after recreational sales kick off — and up to 75 conditional dispensary licenses will be issued by May 1, according to the Illinois Department of Financial […]
