illinois cannabis

Illinois dispensaries sold a record $127.8 million in recreational marijuana in July, with a big boost coming from out-of-state fans who converged on Chicago for the Lollapalooza music festival

There are 55 winners of Illinois’ lottery for licenses to operate marijuana retail stores officials said Thursday, but the licenses can’t be awarded until a judge rules on a challenge to the process.

Many states that are legalizing marijuana have plans to help communities hurt by the war on drugs and create a legal weed industry reflective of those communities. But there needs to be more than “magical thinking” from regulators to get those businesses started, says Smoke Wallin, a board member of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable.

Illinois pot shops reported sales of $109 million of recreational weed in March, shattering a record set earlier this year.

Illinois has collected $62 million from legalized marijuana sales that’s earmarked for helping minority businesses and neighborhood development, but the money hasn’t been spent yet, according to a published report.

Since Illinois launched recreational marijuana sales a year ago Friday, the amount of dispensaries across the state have nearly doubled. When legal recreational marijuana sales began on Jan 1, 2020, there were 43 dispensaries across the state, now there are 78, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Through November, total recreational marijuana sales in Illinois reached…