Illinois Cannabis News

Security cameras captured a traveler who had just arrived at Chicago’s Midway Airport as they searched through and pocketed cannabis products from one of the airport’s cannabis amnesty boxes.

An on-site consumption plan by Illinois Supply and Provisions in Springfield, Illinois has been approved by the city council; it’s the first time in the state that on-site cannabis consumption was approved by a municipality.

Tax rates on adult-use cannabis in Chicago could reach as high as 41 percent for high-potency products after local regulators approved an extra 3 percent tax on all cannabis retailers.

Cresco Labs in Chicago has opened the application period for the company’s community business incubator program called SEED, or Social Equity & Education Development.

One week after the launch of legal cannabis sales in the state, Illinois dispensaries are already low on products, forcing some to close and/or stop serving adult-use customers.

Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports have established so-called cannabis amnesty boxes for travelers who want to dispose of any adult-use products before heading through a security checkpoint.

The Brown County, Illinois Sheriff’s Office has reportedly made the state’s first cannabis arrest since the January 1 legalization launch date.

During the first day of legal sales in Illinois, dispensaries in the state generated nearly $3.2 million from cannabis.

As Illinois became the 11th state to legalize adult-use cannabis this week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker also issued pardons for more than 11,000 cannabis convictions.

Illinois’ adult-use cannabis market launches today, January 1, 2020. It is the first state-legal cannabis market resulting from action by lawmakers, not the voters.

Ahead of the Illinois’ planned legalization roll-out in January, cannabis-related enforcement has reportedly dropped dramatically in the suburbs of Chicago.

A Chicago City Council committee has approved a measure to delay cannabis sales in the city until July 1 due to a lack of minority-owned dispensaries; the measure, however, must be approved by the full council and could still face a veto from the mayor.

Illinois lawmakers promised that patients will be given priority access to state-legal cannabis products once the legal market comes online; the notice was made in anticipation of product shortages immediately following legalization.

Evanston, Illinois has announced a plan to leverage adult-use cannabis taxes to provide financial assistance for minority communities who were most adversely affected by drug war policies.

Illinois officials have awarded the state’s first adult-use retailer licenses — 14 dispensaries received “same-site” licenses, meaning they will be allowed to open their existing medical cannabis stores to anyone 21+.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot proposed major cannabis policy shifts for the city in light of the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Illinois, which is set to take effect January 1.

Cannabis industry workers at Green Thumb Industries in Rock Island, Illinois have unionized amid accusations of unfair labor practices, harassment, retaliation, and unlawful intimidation.

The first adult-use cultivation licenses have been awarded in Illinois; shops are expected to open their doors to adult-use customers on January 1, 2020.

A CBD shop in Chicago is suing its landlord after being told they couldn’t display their logo, which contains a hemp leaf, on local signage because the landlords claim it would promote “marijuana usage.”

Illinois regulators have named the 26 companies selected to provide health and safety training for the state’s upcoming adult-use cannabis dispensaries.

Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Illinois has launched a cannabis certificate course focusing on the plant’s molecular biology, drug laws, the treatment of terminal illnesses, and other knowledge helpful for finding cannabis industry employment.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois has signed legislation expanding the state’s medical cannabis program, including one bill that makes the program — which was set to expire next year — permanent.

Illinois is officially the 11th state to legalize adult-use cannabis and will be the first state to regulate cannabis sales via the legislature. The new law, signed this morning, will also set up nearly 800,000 prior cannabis convictions for expungement.

Medical cannabis company Columbia Care, which operates in 12 states, has launched its own credit card for patients in New York. According to the company, the option has boosted sales in an otherwise cash-only marketplace and there are plans to introduce the card next in Illinois.