Contributor: KC Scannell
It is a very exciting time to be a cannabis enthusiast in the great state of Illinois. This midwestern paradise is on the verge of legalizing recreational marijuana within its borders, and cannabis advocates (like myself) couldn’t be more pumped about it. However, in order to truly enjoy the wealth of benefits that coincide with such a piece of legislation, one would need to have some cannabis to partake in.
And, the only place to grab some bud (legally speaking, of course) would be from a fully-sanctioned and approved dispensary, right? Right. But there’s a lot of steps that need to be taken before any recreational cannabis clubs start opening up around the state.
Cannabis Club Licenses Are About To Be Accepted In Illinois
You can’t just choose to get in the cannabis game willy-nilly. There’s a litany of logistical hoops and legal mumbo jumbo that needs to be completed before you can even think about selling bud to your neighbors. The majority of which have to do with the acquiring of one of the few coveted licenses that Illinois lawmakers plan to start handing out soon. But, in order to even be considered for one of these licenses, you’ll have to apply for one. And that is proving to be a rather daunting task, in itself.
Many have been waiting and preparing their applications ever since the news broke about the January 2020 start date for recreational cannabis. And justifiably so. The cannabis industry is, without a doubt, the most booming industry this nation has seen in decades.
With an ever-growing customer base, dispensaries across the nation have been seeing an influx in business. And, with such an onslaught of customers filling their shops on a regular basis, they’ve been able to enjoy quite a spike in profits.
Which, as an entrepreneur, is the main goal at the end of the day. But Illinois regulators are being a bit selective when it comes to their criteria for applications. They don’t want to just hand them out to random, unresearched, unqualified candidates. They want to go about this in the fairest, most thought-out way possible. And while they have a limit on how many licenses they plan to hand out when it’s all said and done, there are no restrictions holding anyone back from applying for one.
December 10, 2019, is the first day the state of Illinois will start to accept applications for these sought-after licenses. And it stands to reason that these government desks will be full of stacked applications before their January 2nd, 2020 deadline. While there is no “first come, first served” rule in play, many believe it’s best to get theirs in as soon as possible before any decision gets made.
The state of Illinois plans to formally hand out 75 dispensary licenses by May 1, 2020. Which is only around the corner, but it does pose a slight inconvenience for cannabis enthusiasts who may not currently live near a former medical-only shop when recreational bud goes into effect.
Most of the current shops that were opened and allowed to sell cannabis (and its various mediums) to medically-approved patients have majoritively been allowed to sell recreational products, as well, come January. But, to be fair, there aren’t a whole lot of those shops spread out amongst the state.
The bulk of them are in Chicago, which is fine for some, but for those enthusiasts who live in more rural areas, they may have quite a commute in store should they wish to partake in any sort of cannabis on a recreational level in the new year. Making it even more imperative for government officials to hand out dispensary licenses as quickly (and efficiently) as they can.
Also, even though I alluded to “anyone” being allowed to submit an application, I doubt that everyone has the required $5,000 application fee just lying around. Oh, and did I mention that the fee is 100% non-refundable? So, essentially, people are going to have to place a substantial bet on themselves, in hopes of meeting the criteria of the state to open a dispensary.
Another aspect of this application process that’s worth noting is that these licenses will initially be offered to companies and people who don’t have any sort of place in the cannabis industry whatsoever. That very same rule goes for those who met the state’s cannabis equity requirements, by having small cannabis-related offenses on their criminal records. Or, in more likely cases, if they live in areas where the number of marijuana-related charges is higher than other neighborhoods, they will also find themselves at the top of the state’s list.
These equity applicants will only have to pay $2,500. Which makes sense given their current economic standing in the community.
Governor J.B. Pritzker was reached for comment on the new dispensary licenses. Of which, he said, “As Illinois enters the next phase of its adult use cannabis program, we are committed to a process that is efficient, timely and most critically, continues to place equity at the forefront. From ensuring social equity applicants receive points on their application to providing grants and technical assistance, this is a process that does more than any other state in the nation to make equity a priority.”
When looking at a map of the various regions of the state, and where the majority of licenses will go, it becomes abundantly clear that the north-eastern part of Illinois will get the lump sum of dispensaries. To be specific, 47 of the upcoming licenses will cover a specific region that includes the counties of: McHenry, Cook, Grundy, Lake, Kendall, Will, Kane, and DuPage. So, if you happen to live in one of these areas, chances are it’ll be mighty easy to pick up some recreational cannabis in 2020.
As one could imagine, this will leave a lot of other counties fighting for possession of a single potential license for their area. But, as time progresses, more licenses will be accepted and scattered out amongst the remaining counties. However, as I alluded to, that will all happen in due time when the “powers that be” learn just how recreational cannabis affects the state.
While there will be a lot of celebrating in the early part of January, another round of license applications will begin. This time around, it’ll be for folks to apply for licenses that involve the growing, transportation, and processing of cannabis. The Illinois Department of Agriculture will hand out 60 licenses to qualified applicants, but that won’t happen until December 21, 2020. So, needless to say, those are going to take some time before going into effect.
Regardless of whether you’re applying for one of these various licenses or not, the fact remains that recreational cannabis will become legal in the great state of Illinois incredibly soon. And it stands to reason that the state is on the verge of a big, big profit margin in 2020. Hopefully, they won’t take long delegating which applicants are worthy of opening up dispensaries, as the majority of their citizens are eager to get their hands on some newly-legalized cannabis.
The main reason these legislators aren’t in too big of a rush, however, is because they want to see how things play out in the initial stages of recreational cannabis. Which makes sense. They don’t want to jump the gun on things, so to speak. But, if everything works out like it’s supposed to, Illinois may become the nation’s next big player in the cannabis industry.
