Illinois Weed Sales Blaze New Record As Voters Welcome Pot Shops

CHICAGO — A day after state regulators announced a sixth consecutive month of record cannabis sales, voters in six of the seven Chicago suburbs who were asked about allowing recreational marijuana retailers in their town appeared to answer in the affirmative. Five more states also legalized some form of cannabis at the ballot box Tuesday, including four more where voters approved its use by all adults.

In Illinois, all the referendums were non-binding, as state law does not allow voters a direct say on policy questions, although it does allow them to change their form of government and approve bond issues. (For instance: the constitutional amendment on Tuesday's ballot would have expanded the legislature's authority to set different income tax rates — but the rates themselves are a policy set by lawmakers.)

According to unofficial election results, residents of Batavia, Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect, Park Ridge and Wilmette favored advisory referendum questions of whether to permit adult-use cannabis dispensaries in their suburbs. Voters in Western Springs rejected it. In Glen Ellyn, the pro-pot vote led by fewer than 300 votes as of Wednesday evening.

Two years ago, voters in Cook County were presented with the non-binding question of whether to legalize recreational marijuana. More than 68 percent favored allowing the production and sale of adult-use cannabis. The following year, Illinois became the first state in the nation where the legislature legalized the retail sale of marijuana rather than the voters.

Rather than asking voters if they favor legalization, the latest advisory referendums placed on the general election ballot by local government officials ask residents if they want marijuana businesses to be allowed in the suburbs. Local officials in each community would still need to adjust their zoning codes to make way for cannabis companies to set up shop, and an operator with a license from the state would still have to be interested in doing so.

Note: Election results below are unofficial and do not include late-arriving mail-in ballots, which must be accepted until Nov. 17 if postmarked on or before Election Day.

More States Legalize Weed At Ballot Box

Across the nation on Election Day, five additional states legalized some form of cannabis, with voters approving measures in each state where they were asked. Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota said "yes" to recreational weed, while Mississippians approved medicinal marijuana.

A total of 15 states — containing nearly a third of the U.S. population — have now legalized recreational marijuana or voted to do so. All but 14 states have enacted or voted to allow medical marijuana.

Erik Altiieri, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, said the results show that cannabis legalization has bipartisan support from a majority the country and is not only an issue in "blue" states.

“The public has spoken loudly and clearly. They favor ending the failed policies of marijuana prohibition and replacing it with a policy of legalization, regulation, taxation, and public education," Altiieri said in a statement. "Elected officials — at both the state and federal level — ought to be listening.”

Marijuana Policy Project Executive Director Steve Hawkins called for landmark federal marijuana reform in 2021, regardless of who controls the White House and Congress.

“This historic set of victories will place even greater pressure on Congress to address the glaring and untenable conflicts between state and federal laws when it comes to cannabis legalization,” Hawkins said. “This is not a partisan issue. And with more Republican Senators representing states with medical marijuana and legal marijuana for adults, we’re hopeful that marijuana reform can serve as an opportunity for bipartisan cooperation.

But last week, a joint statement from the medical societies of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania warned the costs to the public health system from cannabis use is likely to outweigh any financial benefits states gain through marijuana legalization.

"We appreciate the enormous challenges state policymakers face to address burgeoning budget deficits, but we strongly believe that further detailed research must be undertaken and assessed regarding the effects legalization of cannabis will have on important public health markers, such as emergency department visits and hospitalizations, impaired driving arrests, and the prevalence of psychiatric and addiction disorders," the statement said. "We are very concerned that the long-term public health costs associated with hospitalizations and treatment for psychiatric/addictive disorders could significantly outweigh any revenues that these states anticipate would be received from the legalization of cannabis."

Illinois Cannabis Sales Set Another Record

On Monday, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation released figures showing sales of recreational cannabis rose by more than 11 percent from September to October.

More than $75 million worth of cannabis products — over 1.5 million items — were purchased last month in Illinois from the state's 67 recreational marijuana dispensaries, a significant portion of which are controlled by a handful of multi-state operators.

Illinois has collected more than $120 million in tax revenue in the first 10 months of sales. More than 95 percent of that goes to the state government. Local government's share of the adult-use cannabis tax revenue is capped at 3 percent, not counting other retail sales taxes.

The sales figures below do not include taxes or medical marijuana sales. Dispensaries in Illinois have sold record amounts of cannabis to in-state and out-of-state pot purchasers in each of the past six months.

---

Three new recreational cannabis dispensaries have opened in Illinois each of the last four months. Each is licensed under the state's original medical marijuana program, as the administration of Gov. J.B. Pritzker has delayed the issuance of licenses for 75 additional dispensaries that the legalization legislation had called for by May — as well as licenses for craft growers, infusers and transporters.

Illinois reportedly has the highest prices for legal cannabis in the nation.

No licenses have yet been issued under the "social equity applicant" program created by Illinois lawmakers. The governor's administration initially blamed the coronavirus pandemic for delays. After state officials announced the finalists for the licenses in September, lawsuits alleged problems in the scoring process, and Pritzker announced a review, which he said would be completed in the fall.