Where you’ll be able to buy recreational cannabis in Chicago area Jan. 1
Shane René, Editor-in-Chief
December 20, 2019
As the world celebrates the start of a new decade on Jan. 1, cannabis users in Chicago and across the state of Illinois will also celebrate the long-awaited end of cannabis prohibition. This year, in the early days of J.B. Pritzker’s tenure as governor, Illinois became the 11th state to app...
Chicago wants public to weigh in on legal marijuana sales
October 7, 2019
Chicago officials are holding public meetings for residents to weigh in on the sale of recreational marijuana in the city. A new state law will allow recreational marijuana to be sold to people 21 and older starting Jan. 1. Mayor Lori Lightfoot says her office wants to hear from residents, business...
Chicago mayor proposes zoning rule limiting pot dispensaries
September 18, 2019
When the recreational use of marijuana becomes legal, Chicago's mayor wants its sale banned in the central business district, near schools and in residential areas. The bans are in zoning rules proposed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. However, Alderman Brendan Reilly, who represents the business distric...
Illinois advances legalized pot after home growing settled
Michael Hill and John O'Connor, Associated Press
May 29, 2019
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois lawmakers working to legalize recreational marijuana hit a snag that other states have wrestled with: whether to allow people to grow a few pot plants for personal use. The 10 states that have legalized recreational marijuana have different "home grow" rules, with...
Illinois governor announces plan to legalize marijuana
Sara Burnett, Associated Press
May 5, 2019
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Saturday he's reached an agreement with key lawmakers on a plan to legalize recreational marijuana in the state starting next year. The legislation would allow adults 21 and older to legally buy cannabis for recreational use from licensed dispensaries. Illinois residents...
Chicago prosecutor to start erasing pot convictions soon
April 15, 2019
A top Chicago prosecutor says she hopes to begin expunging minor cannabis convictions in the coming months but acknowledges it won't be easy to implement her plan and that her office is still figuring out its scope. Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx told the Chicago Sun-Times last week that she wants to enlist the help of San Francisco-based nonprofit...
Cook County ‘Reeferendum’:Residents say yes to recreational cannabis
Jonathan Ballew, News Editor
April 23, 2018
When Kyle Crew was 19, he was arrested for selling a friend 3.5 grams of cannabis — enough for personal use and only worth a small fine in 22 states today. But Crew was arrested in Arkansas, where he spent 120 days in county jail. The police were looking to flip him for a serious dealer and asked ...
