After being stifled by the coronavirus outbreak and a series of lawsuits from jilted applicants, state officials confirmed Tuesday that the process for issuing the next round of highly sought-after cannabis licenses is again moving forward.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture issued the latest round of notices detailing specific problems that hopefuls for the upcoming craft cultivation, infusion and transportation licenses can remedy in their applications. Similar notices will also be sent “in the coming days” to applicants who didn’t initially qualify for an upcoming lottery to determine the winners of the next 75 lucrative dispensary licenses, according to Charity Greene, a spokeswoman for Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office.
The move follows months of delays and criticism from applicants of color who have lambasted the governor and other officials for allegedly falling short of their goal of diversifying the state’s overwhelmingly white weed industry.
Rickey Hendon, a former state senator up for three dispensary licenses, has remained a vocal critic of how the application process has played out. But on Tuesday, he struck a more congenial tone.
“It is about time,” said Hendon, who didn’t receive the perfect application scores needed to qualify for the lottery. “I’m glad to see that [the deficiency notices] are coming out.”
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