*Medical Marijuana Dispensary Inventory/ Image from Chicago Sun Times
Illinois Taking Applications For New Marijuana Dispensaries
Regulators in Illinois have opened up applications for new recreational cannabis retail stores on Tuesday, officials said. Applications to open up to 75 new marijuana dispensaries (beyond those already approved by the state) are being taken from 9:30 a.m. -4p.m. Applicants have until January 2nd to submit their forms to the Office of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation at the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago during business hours on business days.
There are about 30 existing medical marijuana dispensaries in Illinois that have already been licensed to begin legal retail sales to adults 21+ beginning New Years Day. The state also considers recreational licensing for other Illinois medical dispensaries that already exist. To determine who will receive the licenses, new applicants will be judged on a point system. The agency will decide the winner by a random drawing in case of a tie between scoring applications that are in the same Bureau of Labor Statistics region.
*Available Licensing by Region/ Image by Center for Illinois Politics
Applicants for social equity dispensaries (including those with past marijuana-related convictions, or those with a majority of owners or employees who come from areas most affected by “the drug war”) are eligible to receive credit for an additional 20% of the 250 scoring points available on the application. Security and record keeping, business planning, financial and operation plans, and knowledge and experience are other top criteria being considered.
By May 1st, all of the winners will be announced. Each requesting applicant will be charged a $5,000 fee that’s non-refundable. To actually get the new recreational marijuana dispensary license, winners will have to add another $60,000 to that cost.
As far as craft producers, infusers and transporters are concerned, applications will be available through the Illinois Department of Agriculture from January 7th to March 15th of 2020. Their application fees cost a non-refundable $5,000 for those licenses as well. Infuser licenses will cost $5,000 more, transporter licenses will be another $10,000, and $40,000 for craft growers.