A long-awaited plan to create 110 new recreational marijuana retail licenses and expand minority ownership in Illinois is expected to be introduced in Springfield this week.
The new licenses would be in addition to 75 pending licenses that are to be awarded in a lottery for businesses with perfect application scores. A second lottery for 75 new licenses would be held for those scoring 85% or better, followed by a third lottery for 35 new licenses intended primarily for Black and Latino entrepreneurs.
The legislation, which is supported by the governor’s office, is meant to address complaints about the long-stalled licensing process from minority investors who have been almost entirely shut out of the industry.
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