{"id":56391,"date":"2022-08-05T10:55:52","date_gmt":"2022-08-05T18:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/08\/05\/illinois-lawmaker-plans-bill-to-centralize-marijuana-regulations-under-single-commission\/"},"modified":"2022-08-05T20:45:27","modified_gmt":"2022-08-06T04:45:27","slug":"illinois-lawmaker-plans-bill-to-centralize-marijuana-regulations-under-single-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/08\/05\/illinois-lawmaker-plans-bill-to-centralize-marijuana-regulations-under-single-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois Lawmaker Plans Bill To Centralize Marijuana Regulations Under Single Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cA commission is more stable for the long term. That\u2019s why we use it for the liquor commission and we use it for gaming.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Greg Bishop, The Center Square<\/strong><\/p>\n

To simplify the state\u2019s regulation of the legal cannabis industry while working to reduce litigation and the specter of politics, some in Illinois are looking to create a statewide cannabis commission.<\/p>\n

As it is right now, entrepreneurs in the adult-use and medical cannabis industry in Illinois have multiple state agencies they have to work through to get licensed and regulated. Application fees can be expensive and meeting various other requirements like being a social equity applicant can add more burdens.<\/p>\n

State Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, wants to reduce the touch points by creating a cannabis commission similar to the state\u2019s liquor or gaming commissions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about centralizing things and time management,\u201d Evans told The Center Square. \u201cBusiness folks don\u2019t need the confusion. Even some of us are confused because I don\u2019t know which agency is which. I\u2019ve got to try to answer folks and bring out a flowchart. Why make government difficult when it can be easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cannabis Business Association of Illinois Executive Director Pam Althoff said for the state to really achieve policy goals for the industry, things need to be streamlined.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just have too many agencies with small responsibilities that just confuse stakeholders on who they\u2019re supposed to talk to,\u201d Althoff said.<\/p>\n

Last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation issued 28 additional cannabis dispensing licenses that were selected from three lotteries<\/a>. The total number of dispensaries issued licenses to date since adult-use sales became legal in January 2020 is 177.<\/p>\n

Depending on the cannabis business, be it craft growers, manufacturers, distributors, transporters or even medicinal cannabis users and their caregivers, the state agencies involved include the Department of Agriculture, IDFPR, State Police, Department of Revenue and the Department of Public Health.<\/p>\n

Evans plans to file a standalone bill to bring about a state cannabis commission consisting of seven members\u2014including gubernatorial appointees and equal representation from General Assembly leaders\u2014as well as a dedicated executive director.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolitics shouldn\u2019t play a role in this,\u201d Evans said. \u201cWe haven\u2019t seen it now, but if we ever get a new administration, we don\u2019t want new department heads with new ideas. A commission is more stable for the long term. That\u2019s why we use it for the liquor commission and we use it for gaming. Because you just don\u2019t want the sways of politics really to impact certain industries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evans also said a more streamlined approach can cut down on confusion which sometimes litigants capitalize on. His commission idea is supported by the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois.<\/p>\n

Total sales in the fiscal year 2022<\/a> were $1.5 billion. Of that, the state captured $445 million in tax revenue that\u2019s split several ways.<\/p>\n

More than a third of the revenue goes to the state\u2019s general revenue fund. Ten percent goes to the state\u2019s backlog of unpaid bills. Eight percent goes to law enforcement and two percent goes to cannabis public safety campaigns. A quarter of every cannabis tax dollar collected goes to the grants for community groups in areas negatively impacted by past drug enforcement policies.<\/p>\n

Local governments can also tack on up to 3 percent additional sales tax.<\/p>\n

This story was first published by The Center Square.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Arkansas Marijuana Campaign Files Lawsuit To Put Legalization Measure On Ballot After State Board\u2019s Rejection<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

The post Illinois Lawmaker Plans Bill To Centralize Marijuana Regulations Under Single Commission<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Illinois Lawmaker Plans Bill To Centralize Marijuana Regulations Under Single Commission<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cA commission is more stable for the long term. That\u2019s why we use it for the liquor commission and we use it for gaming.\u201d By Greg Bishop, The Center Square To simplify the state\u2019s regulation of the legal cannabis industry while working to reduce litigation and the specter of politics,Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56391"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56391"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56392,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56391\/revisions\/56392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}