The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced Tuesday (Oct. 1, 2019) that applications for adult use cannabis licenses for new dispensing organizations are now available.

Applications for new dispensing organizations can be found on the IDFPR website.

This map shows Kane County Disproportionately Impacted Areas in blue.

The applications will be accepted by the department starting on Dec. 10, 2019, and must be submitted by noon Jan. 2, 2020. Applications will start being reviewed following the Jan. 2 deadline, with 75 conditional adult use dispensing organization licenses awarded by May 1, 2020.

Deborah Hagan, secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, said the state is committed to ensuring that the process is transparent.

“Our department understands the important role it plays in ensuring all applicants have an opportunity to become involved in this industry, and we will continue to work with our partner agencies to ensure applicants have the information they need,” she said.

“Social equity” applicants will receive points on their application and are eligible to receive technical assistance, grants, low-interest loans and fee reductions and waivers.

To qualify as a social equity applicant, the statute requires the applicant to be an Illinois resident and meet one of the following criteria:

• At least 51% ownership and control by one or more individuals who have resided at least five of the preceding 10 years in a disproportionately impacted area;
• At least 51% ownership and control by one or more individuals (or family member of an individual) who have been arrested for, convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent for an offense that is eligible for cannabis expungement; or
• Applicants with minimum of 10 full-time employees, at least 51% of employees who reside in a disproportionately impacted area or have been arrested for, convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent for an offense that is eligible for cannabis expungement, or is a member of an impacted family.

The Department of Commerce and Economic Development announced Monday which areas meet the definition of disproportionately impacted area. View the map here.

The map shows two areas in Kane County — in or near Aurora and Elgin — meet the definition.

Once IDFPR awards a conditional license, the applicant has 180 days to find a location within its Bureau of Labor Statistics Region to operate. That location cannot be within 1,500 feet of another licensed dispensing organization.

SOURCE: state of Illinois news release