The State of Illinois recently surpassed a significant milestone, having approved its 100th social equity cannabis dispensary license. Illinois became the 11th state to adopt a statewide adult-use cannabis legalization measure on June 25, 2019 when Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 1438.
“From day one of legal cannabis sales in Illinois, my administration has been committed to making sure we don’t sacrifice a fair, equitable opportunity to join the industry – while also undoing decades of wrongs in the failed War on Drugs – just for the economic gains,” said Governor JB Pritzker in a press release. “More than three years later, we’ve consistently learned and made our industry more accessible, while also seeing strong, consistent year-over-year revenue growth.”
“We are extremely proud of The Dispensary Champaign and all of the other 99 social equity dispensaries that have opened in our state thus far,” said Erin Johnson, Illinois’ Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer. “Illinois will continue to support all of its licensees as our market continues to mature.”
“One hundred dispensaries owned by social equity applicants is a testament to the hard work by the Administration, lawmakers, and stakeholders in ensuring we create a process that’s accessible to everyone, no matter their gender, race, or where in Illinois they call home,” said Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) Secretary Mario Treto, Jr. “This includes recognizing challenges and improving on them for the benefit of future applicants. I’m proud of the simplified application process we’ve created and look forward to utilizing it in welcoming even more professionals to the most equitable cannabis industry in the country.”
Since The Dispensary Champaign received their full adult use cannabis dispensary license, eight additional social equity applicants have received their licenses for a total of 218 – both to social equity applicants and medical cannabis dispensaries – throughout the state. The full list of dispensaries is available on IDFPR’s website here.
“We’re very excited to have been selected and to be part of the Illinois social equity program,” said The Dispensary Champaign owner Jeff Soenksen. “We’re grateful to IDFPR for their exceptional service and professionalism during the process to date. We’re even more excited that we’ve completed the build out and state inspection for our dispensary so we can start serving the Champaign community.”
According to new data published this month by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the state’s legal cannabis retailers sold $141,752,141.71 worth of cannabis products in June 2024. The total sales for June was slightly down compared to May when the state’s legal industry sold over $146 million worth of cannabis products.