After a long delay of nearly 10 months, this Friday a judge ended the court order that prevented Illinois from issuing 185 new recreational cannabis store licenses.
Cook County Circuit Judge Michael Mullen lifted the stay that was issued in 2021, allowing the state to begin licensing new businesses, many of them started by Black and Latino owners.
Companies that have spent thousands of dollars to stay alive without revenue may now take steps toward opening, including finalizing zoning approval, buying or renting real estate, ordering supplies and hiring employees.
That process may take several months to more than a year before the stores open.
The courts had prohibited licensing while considering lawsuits by companies that alleged that they were unfairly excluded from lotteries to award the licenses. State officials plan a corrective lottery to give those plaintiffs another chance to win a license.
By law, the first 75 licenses were supposed to have been issued two years ago, but were delayed by problems with scoring the license applications, which resulted in only 21 companies qualifying for a license lottery out of more than 700 applicants.
“People are super excited to move forward,” said attorney Ryan Holz, who represents businesses in line to get new licenses, as well as some who had been excluded from the license lotteries.
“Today is a key development toward our ultimate goal of creating the most diverse, inclusive, and robust adult use cannabis industry of any state in the country,” said Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, secretary, Mario Treto Jr. “We stand ready to swiftly move forward in ensuring Illinois’ standing as a national leader in the advancement of cannabis equity.”