The State of Illinois says it has reached agreement with the FBI to perform out-of-state criminal background checks for medical marijuana applicants.
That news comes more than a week after NBC Chicago reported that the state had issued the first round of licenses for marijuana cultivation centers and dispensaries without performing out-of-state checks on those awarded the coveted and potentially lucrative permits.
“This is a critical step for the pilot program,” Bob Morgan, the coordinator of the medical marijuana program said in a statement. “We need to ensure that the owners and employees of these businesses undergo a full background check sufficient to maintain the integrity of this program.”
Because the licenses for scores of growers and sellers have already been issued, it isn’t clear what action the state will now take, if questionable information turns up during these new background checks of the initial licensees.
Hundreds of other applicants were eliminated during the competition, after posting hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees during their failed efforts.
“Those background checks were never intended to have been done as part of the selection process,” Rauner spokesman Lance Trover told NBC Chicago last week. “They were only approved with the legislation that [former governor] Quinn signed in his last day in office.”
“These checks can be run, and licensing actions still can be taken.”
