After months of delays, Illinois finally released top scores for coveted cannabis dispensary licenses. The 75 available licenses went to only 21 companies. These companies will be entered into a lottery, which the state will hold next month. The scoring process and implementation of the law have come under intense scrutiny. Allegations of unfair scoring and mismanagement of the [...]
“Social equity” status was a trademark of Illinois’s cannabis legalization legislation. It aims to give a leg up to license applicants from overpoliced, underinvested, and primarily minority neighborhoods. However, despite the promise of fairness, they must wait a while longer. Cannabis Licenses for New Businesses Delayed The state postponed the issuance of 75 new dispensary licenses for recreational adult [...]
UPDATE (2/11/2020): The Department of Agriculture recently released a Notice to Local Zoning Authorities, which provides zoning authorities with some guidance on how to complete Exhibit O of the craft grower license application. Per this notice, the zoning authority should check the second box, indicating that the craft grow applicant has come to them for their approval, “if the [...]
A week after recreational adult cannabis use became legal in Illinois, the state’s Department of Agriculture (“DOA”) released the much-anticipated craft grower, transporter, and infuser license applications for cannabis businesses. The DOA’s website contains information for those wanting to apply for these licenses, including forms and an FAQ page for each license. The DOA will begin accepting applications on [...]
(date: November 4th, 2019) The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), the arm of the government in charge of licensing cannabis dispensaries, recently compiled and published their answers to the questions they have received about the application process. The law leaves many issues unresolved, and this resource clarifies a lot of them. One of the key parts [...]
