Illinois will delay awarding more than 80 cannabis licenses meant to expand the industry, following setbacks in the application process brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
The state’s Department of Agriculture, which regulates cannabis grow facilities, had been set to award 40 craft grow licenses, 40 infuser licenses and an undetermined amount of transporter licenses Wednesday.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued an executive order delaying the licenses. The order did not specify when licenses would be issued. The delays could be catastrophic for some applicants, particularly those who were paying to hold real estate for grow facilities. The setbacks also threaten efforts to diversify the largely white industry.
“We’re going to have to write another check to the landlords to hold the building,” said Jamil Taylor, who leased a South Side building for a grow facility through the end of July. “That definitely puts us in a tough spot. … We have to shell out thousands and thousands of more dollars.”
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