The state of Illinois finally approved cannabis for adults over the age of 21 beginning on January 1st of 2020.
On that day, license dispensaries were allowed to sell cannabis products to Illinois residents and non-illinois residents.
Legal dispensaries can sell up to 30 grams of cannabis flower and 5 grams of cannabis concentrates at one time. There are a lot of rules and regulations regarding the dispensaries, who can operate them, and how they must be run. I honestly thought it was going to take another 5 years before Illinois finally legalized marijuana. I voted for it to be on the ballot several different times before it was actually ratified in the state constitution. I spent 6 months in jail when I got in trouble for having an ounce of marijuana on me. I wasn’t intending to sell the marijuana to anyone. It was all for personal use. Unfortunately, I got a judge that wanted to make a statement and he decided that I had the intent to sell and distribute and he threw the book at me. It was only my first time offense, but he still gave me 6 months in jail. I also had to pay $4,000 in fines and restitution. I have that on my record forever now. I’ve talked to a couple of lawyers to see if I can get the marijuana charge taken off my record, but it’s going to cost a fortune to have that done. I spoke to a lawyer that wants two grand up front just to look into the case.