The law would allow adults 21 and over to legally purchase cannabis for recreational use from licensed dispensaries, as well as grow as many of five plants at home. It also contains language to automatically expunge previous criminal convictions for marijuana use.

"We are putting forward a framework for the General Assembly to move forward this session to legalize adult-use cannabis," Pritzker said. "I made clear that any plan for adult-use cannabis had to prioritize social justice and equity, and the approach we're taking starts righting some historic wrongs and opening up access to this new market."

Individuals would be allowed to possess up to 30 grams of marijuana flower or 5 grams of concentrate. Households, including those with permission from landlords, could to grow up to five cannabis plants, provided they are kept in a locked room away from underaged residents or the public.

Employers would be able to continue to have workplace drug policies and maintain “reasonable policies” for testing, smoking, consumption, storage or use of cannabis in the workplace.

The legislation also sets up a $20 million loan program and a licensing process that gives extra points to groups with ownership from disadvantaged communities. Under the new law, non-refundable permit fees range from $30,000 to $100,000, in addition to fees of $200,000 to $500,000, based on sales in the first year.

Minorities also have been seen as not sharing in what has become a multibillion-dollar industry, which already has created a handful of giants with operations in multiple states. https://www.chicagobusiness.com/news/merger-madness-reshapes-marijuana-business The recreational-use legislation limits ownership to three cultivation centers and 10 dispensaries.

Licenses for recreational marijuana could be given to companies that currently hold medical marijuana licenses within 45 days of the law’s passage, but new licenses will be awarded in 2020 and 2021. Companies that had been awarded licenses under the medical-marijuana program in 2015 had been seeking a delay of 12 to 18 months in the amount of new competition.

“GTI is supportive of efforts to ensure diversity and economic opportunity throughout the cannabis industry,” said Ben Kovler, CEO of Green Thumb Industries, a large Chicago-based grower and retailer under the medical-marijuana law. “We applaud the Governor's commitment to legalizing cannabis in Illinois and ensuring it is done in a fair, equitable manner.”

Under the plan, the state would award licenses for up to 75 new dispensing

Organizations by May 2020 and another 110 licenses by the end of 2021. It also would give out 40 licenses each for craft growers and processors, followed by 60 more in 2021.

Retail sales of marijuana would be taxed by the state at 10 percent to 25 percent, depending on the concentration of THC, the chemical that produces the drug’s ‘high.’ Growers and processors would pay a tax of 7 percent on gross sales.

Cities could charge an additional 3 percent retail sales tax, and counties could collect another 0.5 percent.



The state’s general revenue fund will get 35 percent of the revenue. Pritzker made legalization a key priority during his campaign. It's a popular issue with many voters and a key revenue source that could produce $170 million for a state that has a huge budget deficit.

Rep. Marty Moylan from Des Plaines has introduced a bill that would slow the process of recreational legalization altogether and claims he has 60 sponsors.

“The consequences of this bill are far reaching and will have devastating impacts on citizens, communities and youth,” said Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, an advocacy group that opposes legalization for recreational use. “Numerous studies and data from other states have shown that this is not a good move for Illinois. It won’t bring in the revenue promised, while ushering in new, costly regulatory burdens, more hospitalizations, increased drugged driving incidents and unregulated, highly potent pot products.”



The social justice aspect of the bill is seen as critical to getting the legislation announced by Pritzker through the General Assembly.

"The legislation puts social justice first by acknowledging the damages to over-policed communities during prohibition," said Sen. Toi Hutchinson, who was among those who announced the legislation Saturday morning with Pritzker at Black United Fund of Illinois at 1750 E. 71st St. "The expungement program is the most ambitious and comprehensive in the nation, creating a mechanism for erasing hundreds of thousands of offenses," she said.

The legislation sets up a fund called “Restoring Our Communities,” which will receive 25 percent of the tax revenue that comes from the sale of adult-use cannabis. A 22-member board would oversee grant distribution to communities across the state that have suffered the most from discriminatory drug policies.