Marijuana In Illinois
COUNTDOWN to LEGALIZATION
Introducing Your Guide to Marijuana in Illinois
Today, it’s illegal to buy or smoke marijuana in Illinois, unless you’re one of the more than 65,000 patients approved by the state to use cannabis for medical reasons. But that’s changing. Whether you like it or not, when you ring in the New Year you’ll be entering a new era of pot policy.
Kim Foxx Vacates 1,000 Pot Convictions as Clock Ticks Toward Legalization
Dec 11, 2019 | Matt Masterson
... Read More
Lightfoot Clarifies Police Enforcement of Public Pot Smoking
Dec 9, 2019 | Alexandra Silets
Legal marijuana sales are coming to Illinois in January. That’s the law, plain and simple. But where exactly can you smoke pot in Chicago?
African American Aldermen Try to Halt Sale of Legal Pot in Chicago
Dec 4, 2019 | Paris Schutz
Sales of recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over will begin in Chicago – and across the state – on Jan. 1. Or will they?... Read more
Will Illinois’ Marijuana Law Meet its Social Equity Aims?
Nov 21, 2019 | Amanda Vinicky
When he signed a law that will make it legal for adults to use marijuana starting in 2020, Gov. J.B.... Read more
Driving While Stoned: Police Still Lack Reliable Test
Nov 4, 2019 | Paul Caine
As of Jan. 1, recreational marijuana will be legal in Illinois.... Read more
5 Things to Know
You’ll have to be 21 years old to legally buy and use marijuana.
All marijuana sold in dispensaries across the state will be grown in Illinois (in one of the state’s licensed “cultivation centers”).
Want to grow your own? Only state-registered medical marijuana patients can do that. (The limit’s five per household.)
Medical marijuana patients also get first dibs on cannabis if supplies run short (and in the beginning, they may).
You won’t be allowed to smoke, vape or consume marijuana or pot products in public. That includes bars and restaurants.
Illinois Dispensaries
Right now, there are 55 pot shops in Illinois catering to medical marijuana users. (The state calls them “cannabis dispensaries.”) Each of these shops is allowed to open a second location to sell recreational marijuana, so that number will only grow. Use our map to see which shops are open, and where they’re located.
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She was a driving force behind Illinois’ new marijuana law. Meet the state’s new cannabis regulation oversight officer.
Cannabis Tourism: Will Legalized Marijuana Bring Reefer Madness to Illinois?
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The Jan. 1 legalization of recreational marijuana in Illinois brings with it many dizzying questions. Could the Land of Lincoln become the Midwest mecca for marijuana tourism?
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