SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Governor JB Pritzker announced three lotteries to distribute 185 licenses to operate adult-use cannabis dispensaries will be held in July and August.
It’s in an effort to expand the state’s billion-dollar marijuana industry and ensure better racial diversity in the licensing process.
“This latest piece of legislation helps move us even closer to our goal of establishing a cannabis industry in Illinois that doesn’t shy away from the pain caused by the war on drugs, but instead centers equity and community reinvestment as the key to moving forward,” said Governor JB Pritzker.
The 185 dispensary licenses include the 75 that were supposed to be issued in May of 2020, but were delayed over complaints surrounding a lack of diversity in the state’s scoring system.
Lotteries for dispensary licenses will be held July 29, Aug. 5, and Aug. 19
Additionally, over 200 people across the state have qualified to receive Craft Grow, Infuser, and Transporter licenses, the first set of licenses to be awarded under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA).
According to Pritzker’s office, 67 percent of those eligible identify as non-white and 100 percent are qualified social equity applicants.
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