(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Jan. 1 marks the third anniversary of the legalization of recreational marijuana in Illinois.
It’s now a billion-dollar business in the state, and city and state leaders want to turn Illinois into a leader in cannabis research.
State government is teaming up with the city of Chicago and the Discovery Partners Institute at the University of Illinois to create a Cannabis Research Institute. It is expected to open in Chicago in 2023.
DPI executive director Bill Jackson said the facility will research cannabis cultivation, chemistry, public policy, and the impact of legal recreational marijuana on society.
Similar research is taking place in the University of California system.
While the growing cannabis industry can benefit from the CRI's research, he said it will remain independent of it and accept money only in certain ways, such as through grants.
"We will not take money from anyone who breaks federal laws or be influenced by large cannabis players," Jackson said.
While researchers will focus on cannabis, Jackson said that their work could benefit other fields.
"There are always overlaps or things that are naturally adjacent to the research you do," Jackson said.
Jackson is the guest on this weekend's edition of "At Issue," which can be heard Sunday evening on WBBM Newsradio.
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