(WTTW News)

In the first year since Illinois legalized recreational marijuana, the Illinois State Police expunged 492,192 non-felony cannabis arrest records, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office announced on Thursday.

(WTTW News)

Friday marks one year since it became legal to buy and use marijuana in Illinois. But what about the thousands of people who previously got in trouble for possessing, smoking or selling pot? 

Dispensary 33 in Andersonville (WTTW News)
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Illinois’ recreational marijuana program was set up to right the wrongs of a war on drugs by giving a leg up to those from disadvantaged communities or who had been punished for low-level drug crimes. But nearly a year later, social equity applicants remain locked out.

(Photo by Jeff W on Unsplash)

Illinois’ already-delayed marijuana expansion is on pause, but many of the entrepreneurs trying to be part of the industry are hoping that good things will come to those who wait.

(WTTW News)
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Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Illinois is already months behind in awarding licenses to new marijuana dispensaries. But now, legislators want to further delay the process. 

(WTTW News)

Twenty-one finalists are now vying for the highly coveted licenses that will add 75 new cannabis dispensaries throughout the state, which will hold a lottery sometime this month to make it final.

(Photo by Add Weed / Unsplash)

A new set of 75 dispensary licenses, judged in part on social equity factors, was to have been awarded by May 1, but has been indefinitely delayed due to the coronavirus.

In this Thursday, April 16, 2020, photo, wearing a protective mask and gloves, budtenders prepare orders for customers to pick-up at The Higher Path cannabis dispensary in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo / Richard Vogel)

For businesses, 4/20 is usually their once-a-year Black Friday, when sales soar. Instead, they are reporting up-and-down buying and pondering an uncertain future.

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More and more states are legalizing marijuana, but the number of women involved in the cannabis industry keeps dropping. What can Chicago do to buck that trend?

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A little more than a month after Illinois legalized marijuana, questions remain about whether the program is as equitable as promised. The popularity of pot is also affecting medical users.

(Moshe Harosh / Pixabay)

CBD pet products claim to treat pain, anxiety and even seizures, but do they work? And are they even safe? The chief veterinary officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association weighs in.

(Pexels / Pixabay)

Marijuana may produce pleasurable affects in people, but for pets, the mind-altering substance can be dangerous and even lethal, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. “We don’t want people to think it’s benign or harmless,” said Michael San Filippo of the AVMA.

(Photo by Add Weed / Unsplash)

Come summer, people buying cannabis in Chicago will pay 6% in local pot taxes, in addition to the state tax on pot, which ranges from 10% to 25%, depending on the potency of the product being purchased.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks with Amanda Vinicky of “Chicago Tonight” on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. (WTTW News)

One year ago, Illinois got a new leader when J.B. Pritzker was sworn in as the state’s 43rd governor. Pritzker reflects on his first year in office and looks ahead to what’s next.

(WTTW News)

Sales statewide slid from more than $2 million in the opening days to about $1.2 million as dispensaries struggled to keep shelves full.

(WTTW News)

What’s it like to work in the marijuana industry? How do you start and grow a cannabis business? The city is gathering experts, advocates and others to answer these questions and more at a free event next month.