Illinois Gov. Allegedly Traded MMJ Program Expansion for Dissolving Cannabis Advisory Board
Fri / Aug 11th
Last spring Illinois’ Medical Cannabis Advisory Board was disbanded and it appears the move was part of a deal between… Read More
Illinois Cannabis News
Illinois legalized adult-use cannabis in 2019 and was the first state to establish a regulated cannabis marketplace without going through a voter ballot initiative. Scroll down for the latest Illinois cannabis industry news, interviews, and more.
Cards Against Humanity Donates $70K to Illinois Legalization Efforts
Tue / Aug 8th
Through sales of its “Weed Pack” deck expansion, Cards Against Humanity donated $70,000 to the Marijuana Policy Project to help… Read More
Illinois Health Department Reject Petitions Adding Intractable Pain, Autism, to MMJ List
Tue / Mar 28th
The Illinois Department of Public Health has rejected petitions to add intractable pain and autism spectrum disorder to the list… Read More
Adult-Use Bills Introduced in Illinois
Thu / Mar 23rd
Democratic lawmakers in Illinois have introduced legislation to legalize adult cannabis use, which would set up a taxed and regulated… Read More
Illinois MMJ Program Shows Promise in Year 1
Tue / Nov 8th
In the first year of medicinal cannabis sales in Illinois, there have been no serious problems or complications with the… Read More
Illinois MMJ Sales Reach Nearly $4M in Sept.
Thu / Oct 6th
Medical marijuana sales in Illinois topped more than $3.8 million in September, bringing the total of cannabis sales to $23.5… Read More
Illinois Judge Orders Health Department to Add Post-Op Chronic Pain to MMJ List
Thu / Sep 22nd
An Illinois judge has ordered the state Department of Public Health to add post-operative chronic pain to the list of… Read More
Illinois Gov. Rauner Signs Decriminalization Bill
Sat / Jul 30th
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signed a bill on Friday to decriminalize cannabis, making the possession of 10 grams or… Read More
Illinois Gov. to Collaborate Police Opinions Before Approving Decriminalization
Mon / Jul 25th
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) is still reviewing a bill to decriminalize possession of up to 10 grams or less… Read More
Illinois Judge Orders Officials to Reconsider Migraines as MMJ Qualifying Condition
Fri / Jul 22nd
An Illinois judge has ruled that officials must reconsider adding migraines to the list of qualifying conditions for a patient… Read More
Cannabis-Friendly Illinois Bank Targeted by Feds
Fri / Jul 15th
The Des Plaines, Illinois-based Millennium Bank entered into a consent order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp and the state’s… Read More
Head of Illinois Medical Cannabis Program Resigns
Wed / Jun 29th
The second person chosen by Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to head the state’s medical cannabis program has resigned, the Associated Press reports.… Read More
Illinois Expands Medical Cannabis Program
Wed / Jun 1st
In a long-coming turn of events, Illinois lawmakers last week approved an extension and expansion to the state’s medical marijuana… Read More
Illinois Decriminalization Bill Heads to Gov. Rauner for Signature
Fri / May 20th
The Illinois legislature has approved a decriminalization bill that changes the penalty for possessing personal amounts of cannabis from a criminal offense to… Read More
Illinois Senate Passes Bill to Decriminalize Cannabis
Thu / Apr 21st
The Illinois Senate has approved a bill removing criminal penalties for the possession of a personal cannabis stash, reports the Marijuana Policy… Read More
Illinois Decriminalization Law Moves to Senate for Floor Vote
Fri / Mar 11th
Illinois lawmakers are pushing once more for a bill to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis. The proposed… Read More
Illinois Health Officials Again Refuse Medical Cannabis Expansions
Tue / Feb 2nd
Despite weeks of entreaties from medical cannabis patient advocates and business owners alike, the Illinois state government has asserted that… Read More
Illinois Medical Cannabis is Struggling, Needs More Patients to Survive
Mon / Jan 18th
Illinois medical marijuana shops predict that the industry needs to undergo significant expansions over the next year if the program… Read More
Illinois Medical Cannabis: $1.7M Worth of Sales in Two Months
Tue / Jan 5th
The Illinois medical cannabis market opened November 9, 2015. Since then — not even a full two months later —… Read More
Award-Winning Pastry Chef Launches Cannabis Infused Product Line in Illinois
Wed / Dec 9th
Mindy Segal, winner of the 2012 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in the Country, announced the launch of an… Read More
Illinois State Police ‘Mistakenly’ Tells Medical Marijuana Patients to Give Up Firearms
Tue / Dec 8th
Several medical marijuana patients in Illinois have received letters from the state police informing them that their firearm licenses would… Read More
Medical Cannabis Sales Are Finally Underway In Illinois
Tue / Nov 10th
The first eight medical marijuana dispensaries in Illinois received a green light from state officials on Monday to open their… Read More
Illinois Senate Passes Cannabis Decriminalization Bill
Mon / May 25th
The Illinois Senate passed a measure Thursday to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Under the measure, those… Read More
Illinois Senate Committee Approves Bill to Decriminalize MJ Possession
Fri / May 8th
An Illinois Senate Committee approved legislation that would decriminalize the possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana Wednesday. The… Read More
Cannabis legalization in Illinois
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed the state’s cannabis legalization bill into law in June 2019 after making the reforms a major part of his 2018 election campaign’s platform. Illinois was the very first U.S. state to legalize cannabis and establish a regulated adult-use marketplace through its Legislature. The legalization bill also contained language establishing an expungement process for nearly 800,000 cannabis possession convictions.
Industry overview
Illinois’ cannabis licensing process has been plagued by controversy and lawsuits—particularly over the state’s perceived mishandling of its social equity provisions—but dispensaries are open and servicing medical cannabis patients and adults aged 21 or older. Different cannabis products are taxed differently in Illinois with a roughly 16% tax rate for cannabis flower, 26% for edibles, and 31% for concentrates.
Cannabis purchasing & possession rules
- Illinois adults aged 21+ can purchase and possess up to 30 grams of cannabis, 5 grams of cannabis concentrate, and 500 milligrams of edible THC
- Cannabis home grows are not allowed in Illinois.
