Category: Article
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Illinois Releases 2026 Annual Cannabis Reports
The Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office for the state of Illinois published the 2026 Annual Cannabis Reports. The reports from 2026 can be viewed below. 2026 Annual Cannabis Reports for State of Illinois State of Illinois 2026 Annual Cannabis Report Illinois 2026 Annual Cannabis Reports – Adult Use Health Advisory Committee
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Today, Illinois Expanded Medical Cannabis Access to 37 More Dispensaries
Illinois has issued medical cannabis dispensary licenses to 37 existing adult-use dispensaries, expanding the number of locations where registered medical cannabis patients can shop to 92 at the time of this writing. Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) announced the new licenses Thursday. Beginning September 10, the newly…
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37 More Illinois Cannabis Dispensaries Appear Set to Serve Medical Patients
Update, 3:00pm: Read my latest article on this subject here. Update, 2:28pm: The state of Illinois released a press release which has been available below. The headline for this article was updated. The developments and state database changes detailed below occurred before the state formally announced the new licenses. Update, 10:19 a.m.: Shortly after this…
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Illinois Cannabis Tax Revenue Helps Fund License Plate Readers in Champaign County
Cannabis tax revenue from legal sales is being used to help fund automated license plate readers operated by the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, according to Sheriff Dustin Heuerman. Heuerman said the revenue originates from taxes collected on legal cannabis sales and is distributed by the state to local governments. “There was a question about this…
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Body Cam: Illinois Police Raid Legal Cannabis Grow
In April 2024, police executed a search warrant at the home of Josh Anderson, an Illinois medical cannabis patient who was growing cannabis at home. Anderson was a registered medical cannabis patient at the time of the investigation. Registered medical cannabis patients are currently the only Illinois residents permitted to cultivate cannabis at home. State…
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Federal Hemp Deadline Extension Heads to President Trump; How Could It Impact Illinois?
Congress approved legislation Tuesday that would delay upcoming changes to the federal definition of hemp until December 11, 2026. The legislation now heads to President Donald Trump. Since the federal legislation passed, several people have reached out to me asking what the potential impact could be in Illinois if President Trump signs it into law.…
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Illinois Officials Clarify Cannabis Seed Limits for Medical Cannabis Patients
Illinois officials have provided additional clarification on the rules for cannabis seed purchases in Illinois. Illinois law allows licensed dispensaries to sell cannabis seeds to registered medical cannabis patients for home cultivation. In my last article on cannabis seed sales, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) and Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA)…
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An Open Letter to the President From the Parent of a Medical Cannabis Patient
Ashley’s story inspired ‘Ashley’s Law‘, an Illinois law that expanded protections for students who are registered medical cannabis patients, allowing them to access their medicine while at school. Maureen joined me on Episode 252 of The Cole Memo podcast to discuss Ashley’s story and the advocacy that followed. I recently received a message from Maureen…
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New Illinois Rules Would Expand Outdoor Cannabis Cultivation to All Licensed Growers
The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is proposing new rules that would allow all licensed cultivation centers and craft growers to cultivate cannabis outdoors, expanding a practice that was previously exclusively available to a small number of operators. The proposal was highlighted today by Illinois News Joint, which pointed to the Aug. 14 edition of…
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Illinois Dispensaries Can Apply To Sell Medical Cannabis in September
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) recently published a new application packet that would allow licensed adult-use dispensing organizations, upon approval by the state, to serve medical cannabis patients at the medical cannabis tax rate. It is unclear to me exactly when IDFPR first posted the application, as I did not see…
