This week, State Representative La Shawn Ford announced a bill* that he hopes will allow the Illinois dispensary rollout to move forward and advance social equity goals. While these are great goals, we think the bill will not accomplish either.
Read MoreThe dates are getting further into the rear view mirror. The Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act became law on June 25, 2019. Adult-use sales of cannabis began on January 1, 2020. Thousands of entrepreneurs, many of them qualified social equity applicants, submitted applications for new dispensary licenses on or before January 2, 2020.
Read MoreThe Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations (IDFPR) is expected to issue its “supplemental” deficiency notices for dispensary license applicants “soon,” with soon being a relative term given this supplemental deficiency notice round was announced in early fall of 2020. Nevertheless, because the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) recently issued deficiency notices to craft grower, infuser, and transporter applicants, we think the IDFPR notices may be on the horizon. In preparation, we would like to share some observations from the IDOA notice round.
Read MoreAs we wrote about here, cannabis had a banner night across the country on Tuesday as five states passed ballot initiatives legalizing cannabis in some fashion. Additionally in Illinois, a state that legalized recreational cannabis through legislation, voters signaled their approval of legalized cannabis in a different way. While the election results are not yet final, voters in Batavia, Elk Grove, Glen Ellyn, Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, and Wilmette appear poised to approve the sale of recreational marijuana within those cities.
Read MoreYesterday, Vermont became the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana sales and the second to do so via legislation (Illinois was the first in 2019). The State House of Representatives and State Senate previously approved a compromise bill legalizing marijuana sales and establishing a framework to regulate it, as we wrote about here.
Read MoreIt’s been a tough month for the state of Illinois when it comes to issuing new cannabis licenses, and here is a recap of why
Read MoreTuesday marked not only the start of Illinois’s inaugural High Times Cannabis Cup, but also a completely new iteration of the venerable event. For the first time ever, the general public will be judging the entries and deciding the winners, prompting eager marijuana enthusiasts to line up literally around the block to buy “judge kits.”
Read MoreGood news for those awaiting the issuance of cannabis dispensary licenses by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR): the department’s tiebreaking rules are now finalized, which clears what seems to be the last remaining hurdle before issuance. As we discussed previously, the IDFPR’s emergency rules for breaking ties on applicant scoring expired before the department was able to issue licenses. Without a tiebreaking mechanism in place, the IDFPR has not issued any of the 75 new dispensary licenses.
Read MoreAmid talks of a deep recession, social unrest, and the global pandemic, cannabis legalization continues to be a relevant topic in the United States. While COVID-19 hampered many cannabis legalization and decriminalization efforts in the short term, criminal justice reform and social equity remain a driving force that keeps cannabis legalization at the forefront; it has been top of mind in states such as Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Virginia.
Read MoreAs we arrive at the middle of June, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) has not issued any conditional adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses and, as we recently wrote about here, it may be a while before the licenses are issued. Nevertheless, those licenses will be issued eventually, and it is important that cannabis entrepreneurs begin evaluating their next steps.
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