Pritzker administration issues first wave of adult cannabis dispensary licenses

ILLINOIS (KFVS) - Governor JB Pritzker, along with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), issued 149 Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses to applicants from lotteries held in summer of 2021.

Gov. Pritzker says all businesses qualify as Social Equity Applicants under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.

According to a release, of the businesses selected through the lottery; 41 percent are majority Black-owned, 7 percent are majority White-owned, and 4 percent are majority Latino-owned, while 38 percent of awardees did not disclose the race of their owners.

“Illinois is leading the way in addressing the War on Drugs as no state has before, and dispensary ownership that reflects our state’s diversity is a product of that commitment,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These licenses represent a significant step toward accountability for the decades of injustice preceding cannabis legalization. Illinois will continue to deliver on the promises of putting equity at the forefront of this process.”

These licenses mark the first issuance of Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses since Illinois legalized cannabis for adult use in 2019.

The businesses awarded licenses will have 180 days to select a physical storefront location and obtain the full Adult Use Dispensing Organization License.

According to Pritzker’s office, if a Conditional Licensee is unable to find a suitable physical location within the 180-day period, they may request an extension of 180 days.

Once issued an Adult Use Dispensing Organization License, a business may begin purchasing and dispensing adult use cannabis.

“Illinois is well on its way to increasing equity in the state’s cannabis industry with the issuing of the conditional adult use dispensing licenses,” said State Representative Sonya Harper (D-Chicago). “I look forward to following the successes of our new businesses and continually working to ensure equity in the industry.”

The list of today’s awardees and the next steps for the conditional license period are available on the IDFPR’s Adult Use Cannabis webpage.

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