November/27/2019
According to a report by Chicago Tribune, the city of Illinois has issued seven medical marijuana dispensaries with permits to sell recreational marijuana once the sale is launched on January 1.
On November 26, the seven dispensaries that were issued with the licenses include Columbia Care, Mission Illinois, EarthMed, two HCl Alternative branches, Herbal Remedies, and Natures Treatment, reported the Chicago Tribune.
According to Chicago Tribune, the additional dispensaries make the total number of licensed dispensaries 29. The dispensaries are to set to serve the adult-use market, which is soon to be launched in the state.
Illinois has 55 licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. The dispensaries are eligible to apply for recreational licenses, and they can also apply for a permit to open a second dispensary, reported the news outlet.
Illinois, municipalities are allowed by the law to ban the sale of recreational marijuana in their jurisdictions, even if businesses have been awarded licenses to open dispensaries in those locations. Three of the 29 permits issued are in communities that have issued a ban on the sale of adult-use cannabis, Chicago Tribune reported.
The Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, has reported a zoning plan which bans adult-use dispensaries in most of the downtown area in Chicago. In her proposal, Lightfoot said that marijuana dispensaries should not be located within 500 feet from a school or any designated residential zoning district.
According to Chicago Tribune, other municipalities are yet to decide on whether to allow the sale of adult-use cannabis within their jurisdictions.
