 Illinois is gearing up to begin fulfilling more of the adult use legalization laws that were passed in 2019.
Specifically, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is filing new rules to streamline the application process for social equity applicants who are applying for adult-use dispensary licenses. Social equity applicants include people who have been negatively affected by previous marijuana laws, such as individuals with past arrests or convictions for marijuana that can now be expunged under the new cannabis laws, as well as minorities, women owned businesses, or other criteria which will be detailed on the state agency’s website. Currently, there are 21 licensed cannabis cultivation sites and 110 retail dispensaries with almost no minority owners. The new streamline application process will replace the previous system which required hundreds of pages and costly consultants and investments. The application window should be open during late summer or early fall of this year, depending on how soon they finalize all the details for the process, and at that time the qualified applicants can apply online. The fee will be $250. After the application window is closed, the state will then have a lottery to draw which applicants will receive the licenses. If an applicant is selected from the lottery drawing, they will then have 45 days to prove social equity and eligibility criteria in order to receive a license. When the original legalization law was passed, there was a stipulation that at least 50 social equity licenses be granted, and the state has since announced they plan to issue 55. More information about the process can be found on the website for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. State of Illinois | Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (idfpr.com) Comments are closed.
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