Open A Dispensary In Illinois - Dispensary Permits Cannabis Consulting and Templates

Status: In Illinois, all adults 21 years of age and older may possess and use marijuana. All individuals with a legal prescription may possess and use medical marijuana. State licensed businesses may grow, process, transport, and dispense marijuana.

CBD Program	Medical Program	Recreational Program	Are Applications Open?
Legal	Legal	Legal	Open 12/10/19 - 1/2/2020

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Marijuana Business Templates

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Number of Illinois Licenses Available

Dispensaries	Cultivation	Manufacturing/Processing	Transportation
75	TBD	TBD	TBD

Every state has different marijuana laws- they are regulated by state, not federal law. Some states allow marijuana for recreational and medical use, some states only allow medical use, and some only allow certain low THC products for medical use. Most states limit the number of licenses they will grant and the window to apply for them. Getting licenced is never simple- there are very specific requirements and guidelines that differ by state and its usually highly competitive, which is why most successful applicants work with consultants like Dispensary Permits to help guide them. We highly advise you read the guidelines below thoroughly and then consider working with a consultant or using our templates and guides.
You can read the full text of the Illinois law at: www.ilga.gov

Illinois Recreational Craft Grower License Guidelines

A Craft Grower License is a license that permits a business or organization to cultivate, dry, cure, and package cannabis and perform other necessary activities to make cannabis available for sale at a dispensing organization or use at a processing organization.

- A craft grower may contain up to 5,000 square feet of canopy space on its premises for cultivating plants that are more than 5 inches tall.
- A craft grower may share premises with a processing organization or a dispensing organization, or both, provided each licensee stores currency and cannabis or cannabis-infused products in a separate secured vault to which the other licensee does not have access or all licensees sharing a vault share more than 50% of the same ownership.
- The application for a Craft Grower License requires a nonrefundable application fee of $40,000. Once awarded a license, a license fee of $100,000 is required and an annual registration fee of $40,000 will be required to renew the license every year.
- The Department is to award up to 40 Craft Grower Licenses by July 1, 2020 and 60 additional licenses by December 21, 2021.

REQUIRED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR CRAFT GROWER APPLICATION:

RECOMMENDED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR CRAFT GROWER APPLICATION:

Illinois Marijuana Business Plan Package

Illinois Recreational Cultivation Center License Guidelines

An Early Approval Adult Use Cultivation Center License is a license that permits an existing medical cannabis cultivation center licensed under the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act to begin cultivating, packaging, transporting, and selling cannabis to adult-use cannabis business establishments for resale to purchasers on January 1, 2020.

- The application for an Early Approval Adult Use Cultivation Center License requires a $100,000 nonrefundable application fee and a nonrefundable Cannabis Business Development Fee equal to 5% of the cultivation center’s total sales between July 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019, or $500,000 (whichever is less), as well as the identification of a Social Equity Inclusion Plan.

A Cultivation Center License is a license that permits a business or organization to cultivate, process, transport, and perform other necessary activities to provide cannabis and cannabis-infused products to cannabis business establishments.

- The application for a Cultivation License requires a nonrefundable application fee of $30,000. Once awarded a license, an annual registration/renewal fee of $100,000 is required.

REQUIRED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR CULTIVATION APPLICATION:

RECOMMENDED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR CULTIVATION APPLICATION:

Illinois Marijuana Business Plan Package

Illinois Recreational Processor License Guidelines

A Processing Organization License or Processor License is a license that permits a business or organization to process cannabis and perform other necessary activities to make cannabis available for sale at a dispensing organization or use at another processing organization.

- The application for a Processor License requires a nonrefundable application fee of $5,000. Once awarded a license, an annual registration/renewal fee of $20,000 is required.
- The Department is to award up to 40 Processor Licenses by July 1, 2020 and 60 additional licenses by December 21, 2021.

REQUIRED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR PROCESSOR APPLICATION:

RECOMMENDED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR PROCESSOR APPLICATION:

Illinois Marijuana Business Plan Package

Illinois Recreational Dispensing Organization License Guidelines

An Early Approval Adult Use Dispensing Organization License is a license that permits an existing medical cannabis dispensing organization licensed under the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program to begin selling cannabis to purchasers on January 1, 2020.

- The application for an Early Approval Adult Use Dispensing Organization License requires a $30,000 nonrefundable application fee and a nonrefundable Cannabis Business Development Fee equal to 3% of the dispensing organization’s total sales between July 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019, or $100,000 (whichever is less), as well as the identification of a Social Equity Inclusion Plan.

A Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization License is a license awarded to top- scoring applicants for an Adult Use Dispensing Organization License that reserves the right to a dispensing organization license if the applicant meets certain conditions, but does not entitle the recipient to begin purchasing or selling cannabis or cannabis-infused products.

- Applicants who receive a Conditional Dispensing Organization License will have 180 days from the date of the award to identify a physical location for the dispensing organization retail storefront when new entrants are allowed in the market.
- The purpose of this conditional license is to reduce the costs associated with entering the industry. The application for a Conditional Dispensing Organization License requires a nonrefundable application fee of $5,000. Once awarded a license, an annual registration/renewal fee of $60,000 is required.
- The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation will begin accepting applications for Conditional Adult-Use Dispensing Organization licenses on December 10, 2019 through January 2, 2020.
- The Department is to award up to 75 Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses by May 1, 2020.

An Adult Use Dispensing Organization License or Dispensary License is a license that permits a business or organization to acquire cannabis from a cultivation center, craft grower, processing organization, or another dispensary for the purpose of selling or dispensing cannabis, cannabis-infused products, cannabis seeds, paraphernalia, or related supplies to purchasers or to qualified registered medical cannabis patients and caregivers.

- The application for a Dispensary License requires a nonrefundable application fee of $30,000. Once awarded a license, an annual registration/renewal fee of $60,000 is required.
- The Department is to award up to 110 additional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses by December 21, 2021.

REQUIRED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR DISPENSING ORGANIZATION APPLICATION:

RECOMMENDED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR DISPENSING ORGANIZATION APPLICATION:

Illinois Marijuana Business Plan Package

Illinois Recreational Transporter License

A Transporting Organization License or Transporter License is a license that permits a business or organization to transport cannabis on behalf of a cannabis business establishment.

- The application for a Transporter License will require a nonrefundable application fee of $5,000. Once awarded a license, an annual registration/renewal fee of $10,000 is required.

RECOMMENDED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR TRANSPORTER APPLICATION:

Illinois Medical Marijuana Cultivation Guidelines

A “Cultivation center” means a facility operated by an organization or business that is registered by the Department of Agriculture to perform necessary activities to provide only registered medical cannabis dispensing organizations with usable medical cannabis.

REQUIRED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR CULTIVATION APPLICATION:

RECOMMENDED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR CULTIVATION APPLICATION:

Illinois Marijuana Business Plan Package

Illinois Medical Marijuana Dispensing Organization Guidelines

“Medical cannabis dispensing organization” or “Dispensing organization” means a facility operated by an organization or business that is registered by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to acquire medical cannabis from a registered cultivation center for the purpose of dispensingmedical cannabis, paraphernalia, or related supplies and educational materials to registered qualifying patients.

REQUIRED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR DISPENSING ORGANIZATION APPLICATION:

RECOMMENDED ILLINOIS MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR DISPENSING ORGANIZATION APPLICATION:

Illinois Marijuana Business Plan Package

The History of Illinois Marijuana

Medical Marijuana:
Illinois legalized medical marijuana for qualified patients in 2013. The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act establishes a patient registry program, protects registered qualifying patients and registered designated caregivers from “arrest, prosecution, or denial of any right or privilege,” and allows for the registration of cultivation centers and dispensing organizations. Applications were accepted in September 2014 and the state awarded 22 cultivation licenses and over 60 dispensary licenses. There were a few districts that we left unawarded, so interested parties have future opportunities to obtain licenses.

Qualifying Medical Conditions: Cancer, glaucoma, a positive status for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), hepatitis C, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Crohn’s disease, agitation of Alzheimer’s disease, cachexia or wasting syndrome, muscular dystrophy, severe fibromyalgia or any spinal cord disease, including but not limited to: arachnoiditis, Tarlov cysts, hydromyelia, syringomyelia, Rheumatoid arthritis, fibrous dysplasia, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and post-concussion syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Arnold-Chiari malformation and Syringomyelia. Patients may also qualify for medical marijuana if they suffer from a severely debilitating or terminal medical condition such as Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA), Parkinson’s, Tourette’s, Myoclonus, Dystonia, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, RSD (Complex Regional Pain Syndromes Type I), Causalgia, CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndromes Type II), Neurofibromatosis, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, Sjogren’s syndrome, Lupus, Interstitial Cystitis, Myasthenia Gravis, Hydrocephalus, nail-patella syndrome, residual limb pain, or the treatment of these conditions.

Recreational Marijuana:
With the election of J.B. Pritzker on November 6, 2018 as the next governor of Illinois, the legalization of recreational cannabis became a focus for state lawmakers, as cannabis legalization was one of Pritzker’s campaign promises.

On June 25, 2019, Gov. Pritzker signed the marijuana legalization legislation, known as the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, into law. Effective January 1, 2020, the new law will allow the following: (1) Illinois residents ages 21 and over would be allowed to purchase and possess up to 30 grams of cannabis; (2) Non-residents ages 21 and over would be allowed to purchase and possess 15 grams of cannabis; (3) Illinois adults ages 21 and over would be allowed to grow up to five cannabis plants in each household; (4) municipalities, employers and landlords would be able to prohibit possession and use; (5) criminal records of citizens whose careers and futures have been harmed by cannabis convictions for low-level possession and dealing would be expunged. The sale of adult use cannabis will begin on January 1, 2020.

The legalization of adult use cannabis does not alter the state’s medical cannabis pilot program. The new law will continue to limit the number of licenses and endures preferential treatment towards equity applicants. The proposed application process will give additional points for diversity, diversity of ownership, diversity of workforce, and diversity of contractors hired.

The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation will begin accepting applications for Conditional Adult-Use Dispensing Organization licenses on December 10, 2019 through January 2, 2020.

Recreational Program Timeline:
Within 60 days of the effective date of the Act – Existing medical cannabis businesses may apply for Early Approval Adult Use Cultivation Center Licenses or Early Approval Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses. Eligible applicants will be awarded a license within 45 days of applying.
October 1, 2019 – Applications for Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization licenses posted to Department website
December 10, 2019 – Department to begin accepting applications for Conditional Adult-Use Dispensing Organization licenses
January 2, 2020 – Department to stop accepting applications for Conditional Adult-Use Dispensing Organization licenses
January 1, 2020 – Adult use cannabis available for purchase
By May 1, 2020 – Department to award up to 75 Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses
By July 1, 2020 – Department to award up to 40 Craft Grower Licenses, up to 40 Processor Licenses, and a TBD number of Transporter Licenses
By December 21, 2021 – Department to award up to 60 additional Craft Grower Licenses, up to 60 additional Processor Licenses, and up to 110 additional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses