The Cole Memo

On May 16, 2023, Metrc announced that Illinois intended to award the company a contract for its cannabis seed-to-sale tracking system.

A press release from the State of Illinois on February 4, 2025, confirmed that the state will transition to Metrc this summer, replacing BioTrack.

According to new implementation documents shared by Metrc, the phased rollout will begin April 1, 2025, with testing labs and transporters, followed by cultivators, infusers, and dispensaries in late April and May.

Licensees will receive state-funded RFID tags, with ordering available April 28. According to Metrc, details of the tag ordering process will be communicated to each licensee over the next few weeks. In-person and virtual trainings will be provided.

Below are key dates and deadlines from the Metrc implementation plan for Illinois:

• April 1, 2025: Credentialing opens for Testing Labs and Transporters
• April 25, 2025: Credentialing opens for all license types
• April 28, 2025: RFID tag ordering begins
• May 25, 2025: All testing must transition to Metrc
• June 17, 2025: Full market migration deadline (all licensees should be migrated to Metrc and operational)
• July 1, 2025: BioTrack system shuts down

For more information, visit metrc.com/partner/illinois or view the full implementation plan provided by Metrc below.

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#300 – Illinois Has More Cannabis Brands Than Ever. Fewer Companies Own Them. – The Cole Memo

Damian Fagon, policy director at the Parabola Center for Law and Policy, joins the show to discuss a new analysis of Illinois' cannabis market and the structural advantages held by large multi-state operators and incumbent medical cannabis companies. We discuss market concentration, cultivation capacity, vertical integration, management agreements, consumer choice, and why hundreds of cannabis brands may create an illusion of competition. Damian also discusses continued cannabis arrests after legalization, the role of corporate influence in cannabis policy, New York's approach to legalization, and why he believes states must put consumers, small businesses, and civil liberties ahead of commercialization. Watch video version and read full show notes here: https://thecolememo.com/2026/07/08/e300/

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