When marijuana shops open their doors to the public in January, shoppers at the back of the line might notice something missing once they get inside: the weed. Nearly every state that allows recreational marijuana had some shops run out or run low in the first days of sales. In Colorado, some customers were greeted […]
illinois marijuana
One of the biggest deals in the cannabis industry just fell apart. What the MedMen-PharmaCann breakup means for marijuana in Illinois.
When MedMen Enterprises agreed to buy Chicago-based PharmaCann last year, the $682 million deal was one of the biggest in the history of the legal marijuana industry. Now, it’s one of the biggest to fall apart. On Tuesday, the companies announced they were abandoning a transaction that already had been delayed by regulatory hurdles, but MedMen is […]
Into the haze: how will legal marijuana affect Illinois employers and workers?
For cash-strapped Illinois, recreational marijuana is expected to be a headrush of revenue. But for Illinois businesses, surveying the new legal landscape it has already caused a headache. At a panel event on Thursday, local leaders in policy, business and law discussed how legalization will impact workers and employers in the Quad-Cities. Marijuana will be regulated like […]
Can Illinois draw marijuana tourists from out of state? Retailers take a gamble on border towns
Recreational marijuana sales are set to begin next year, and some of the potential store locations getting scouted suggest Illinoisans aren’t the only customers cannabis companies hope to attract. Amid the debate over proposed zoning rules that would ban weed sales in much of Chicago’s downtown, cannabis companies also are eyeing sites far beyond city […]
Legal marijuana dispensaries would be banned in most of downtown Chicago under Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposed zoning rules
Recreational marijuana dispensaries would be blocked from opening in most of downtown Chicago, including the Magnificent Mile, under Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposed zoning rules for when the sale of the plant becomes legal next year. But the mayor’s plan could face opposition from cannabis interests that have eyed downtown as a prime location to set […]
Many Illinois marijuana businesses aren’t sure they’ll be ready for recreational sales Jan. 1. Here’s why.
The medical marijuana dispensary in Naperville snagged one of the first state licenses issued to sell recreational pot, creating expectations of a steady flow of new customers when sales start on Jan. 1. But the dispensary’s plans were shelved just five days later when the Naperville City Council voted to prohibit recreational sales in the city. […]
Illinois awards its first five recreational marijuana licenses
Illinois awarded its first licenses to sell recreational marijuana to five medical dispensaries on Thursday, even as many municipalities around the state debate whether they’ll allow pot sales. The five shops that received licenses are peppered throughout Illinois — in Naperville, Mundelein, Joliet, Effingham and Canton — and now have the state’s permission to sell […]
Illinois’ Medical Marijuana Program Is Now Permanent, Expanded
Illinois’ medical marijuana program is getting a second wind. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a pair of bills on Monday expanding who can get a medical card, and when they can use it. The program was initially limited to just six years, but is now permanent. When the law was first signed in 2013, state lawmakers made […]
Illinois marijuana growers who get first shot at the recreational market contributed heavily to politicians who cemented their advantage
Marijuana cultivating companies that persuaded Illinois lawmakers to give them first access to recreational customers pushed for the lucrative advantage with the backing of a steady flow of campaign cash, the Tribune has found. The firms grow medical cannabis now, but are allowed to produce the first batches of recreational marijuana in preparation for the […]
Illinois universities exploring programs on growing, marketing marijuana
Some community colleges and four-year universities in Illinois are exploring the possibility of launching educational programs to train people in the business of growing and marketing marijuana, in light of a new state law legalizing adult-use recreational marijuana. There is, however, one significant hitch in that idea: Such programs could run afoul of a federal […]
Weed cafes in Illinois? People could be allowed to smoke marijuana (not tobacco) at bars, restaurants under new law.
Since 2008, it’s been illegal to smoke indoors at most public places in Illinois. But smoking could once again be allowed at bars, restaurants, coffee shops and other businesses, even new cannabis smoke lounges and weed-friendly movie theaters and concert venues — if local officials approve that. That’s under a largely overlooked provision of the […]
Illinois is expunging marijuana convictions from nearly 800,000 criminal records
If you’ve been arrested for weed in Illinois, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker just signed HB 1438 this week, which makes cannabis legal in the state for individuals 21 and over, along with sweeping criminal justice reforms designed to help those whose lives have been upended by the state’s drug […]
Gov. Pritzker expected to sign bill into law Tuesday that would legalize marijuana in Illinois on Jan. 1
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected Tuesday to approve a plan to legalize marijuana in Illinois next year, marking a momentous shift in how the state treats drug use. The governor is set to sign into law a bill allowing the licensed growth, sales, possession and consumption of cannabis for adults 21 and over, according to […]
Michigan could face competition after Illinois legislature approves recreational pot
When Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs legislation legalizing recreational marijuana later this month, it will set up a race for the Midwest. Who gets to be first in the Midwest to kick off the market for legal weed and capitalize on a potential billion dollar industry, Michigan or Illinois? Michigan voters got a head start, […]
Recreational marijuana goes on sale Jan. 1 in Illinois. Dispensaries are already getting ready.
Recreational marijuana is just a signature away from being legal in Illinois, and dispensaries are staffing up, remodeling, and wasting no time preparing for new foot traffic. Illinois lawmakers approved a bill Friday that, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s promised signature, will allow the state’s 55 medical dispensaries to apply to sell recreational marijuana. Additionally, the dispensaries can […]
Marijuana advocates hit unexpected roadblocks
Advocates of legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes scored their most significant legislative victory of the year Friday when the Illinois state House gave final approval to a measure allowing residents over the age of 21 to purchase and use cannabis products. But their win in Springfield comes at the end of a string of defeats […]
As a Deadline for Legalizing Marijuana in Illinois Approaches, a New Poll Finds Strong Public Support
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his allies in the state legislature have only one week left in the current session to pass a bill legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Whether they succeed will depend partly on whether legislators believe they have the support of most voters, and a recent poll indicates they do, reinforcing the results of […]
Illinois’ marijuana market could rival Colorado’s in the coming years, report finds
The cannabis industry in the U.S. has long been centered around states like Colorado and Oregon, but now, marijuana sales in Illinois and its neighboring states east of the Mississippi River are poised to rival those out west. The U.S. cannabis market is heading for massive growth, with sales that are expected to reach $22.7 […]
