Recreational Marijuana Sales Begin in Illinois

The legal sale of recreational marijuana began on Jan. 1 in Illinois. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill in June that permits residents to purchase and possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis at a time and non-residents up to 15 grams.

On the first day of sales, the state had 77,128 transactions totaling nearly $3.2 million, Senior Advisor to the Governor for Cannabis Control Toi Hutchinson said in a press conference.

“As we start a new decade, Illinois has achieved a monumental milestone – launching the legalization of cannabis in a way that includes communities left behind for far too long, creates good jobs and expunges thousands of records for those who have lost out on opportunities and ends prohibition,” said Hutchinson.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced 11 more “Same Site” adult-use cannabis licenses, which will allow an existing medical cannabis dispensary to obtain an adult use dispensing license, and the first “Secondary Site” adult-use cannabis license, which will allow an existing medical cannabis dispensary to obtain an adult-use dispensing organization license within a limited geographic area.

This license will permit the dispensary to begin adult-use cannabis sales at that location starting Jan. 1, 2020, provided the dispensary complies with local zoning rules or other local laws. These recent approvals raise the total number of approved adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses to 46.

In addition to opening adult-use dispensaries at the same site of their medical cannabis dispensaries, existing medical cannabis dispensaries are permitted under the law to open a second site for adult-use sales at a different location. In the coming months, new applicants, including social equity applicants, will have the opportunity to apply for an additional seventy-five adult-use cannabis licenses. Social equity applicants are eligible for additional points on their application and for technical assistance, low-interest loans and fee reductions.