Illinois activists call for fairness in dispensary licensing process

According to local news reports, rally-goers this week called for “a fairer process to obtain a marijuana dispensation license in Illinois.”

Local television station WLS reported that a group gathered Tuesday at Chicago’s Thompson Center to raise objections after Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced a lottery to award 50 new adult-use cannabis licenses in the state earlier this month to “expand opportunities to reach the communities hardest hit by the failed war on drugs.”

The channel reported that the group, which organized the rally known as True Social Equity in Cannabis, “doesn’t want a lottery to decide who gets to start a cannabis business in their neighborhood.”

“We’re tired of waiting. No more internationals, no more lotteries, no more games,” said Jose Lumbreras, one of the rally-goers, as quoted by WLS.

Pritzker’s office announced the upcoming lottery earlier this month, saying the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) “will submit rules to simplify the application process for cannabis dispensary licenses, remove social justice barriers for applicants, and target… Opportunities to expand communities hardest hit by the failed war on drugs.”

The department, according to the governor’s office at the time, was required under the state’s new cannabis law to “issue at least 50 new adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses by the end of 2022.”

“From day one, Illinois has strived to lead the nation in a justice-centric approach to cannabis legalization, and these proposed changes to the application process will make it much easier for social justice applicants to obtain licenses.” Pritzker, a Democrat , said in a statement at the time. “I appreciate all of the feedback we have received since the beginning of the cannabis program from stakeholders whose work has influenced this proposal and continues to make Illinois’ growing cannabis industry the fairest in the nation.”

In the press release earlier this month, the Pritzker administration touted that “the new legal cannabis industry reflects the state’s diversity,” saying, “100% of applicants for craft grow, infusion, and trucker licenses are qualified administered by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.” as a Social Justice Applicant”; “67% of these applicants live in areas disproportionately affected by the failed war on drugs”; “15% were personally involved in the justice system”; and “Five percent have a family member involved with the justice system.”

“We are committed to an inclusive and equitable cannabis program that continues to build on its achievements while recognizing and taking steps to further improve it,” said Mario Treto, Jr., the acting secretary of the state’s Department of Treasury and Professional Code earlier in this month. “We look forward to introducing even more attendees to Illinois’ adult cannabis program and welcome any feedback to ensure we continue to grow the program together.”

But Juan Aguirre, one of the organizers of True Social Equity in Cannabis, said that the applicants were “devastated by what a legacy-to-legal-market solution should have been. Instead, their life savings were destroyed; their time, their leap, their efforts were in vain.”

Under Priztker’s proposed new rules, “applicants may apply online with certain basic information (such as organization name, list of officers, contact information, and a $250 fee).”

Pritzker’s office said the Department of Financial and Occupational Regulation also plans to issue 55 conditional licenses to be distributed among the existing 17 BLS regions listed in the state’s new Recreational Cannabis Act.

One of the organizers of the Chicago rally told WLS that Pritzker’s proposal “is a great start to addressing some of the harm caused by the War on Drugs and those harmed by the original process.”

“I think the 55 for $250 is a good start, but we’re a long way from justice,” organizer JR Fleming said, as quoted by the broadcaster.