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Illinois Gearing Up For Recreational Cannabis Sales

Recreational cannabis sales will be legal in Illinois starting January 1st. This means anyone 21 years and older can buy from licensed sellers.

Democratic State Senator Steve Stadelman said the application process for these licenses includes measures meant to address social equity.

“When the law was passed, supporters were hoping to have diversity among those who own those licenses, but how you go about accomplishing that will be a big question," he said. 

Part of this includes preferential treatment for residents applying for a license if they’re from a community that has been disproportionately impacted by past cannabis enforcement.

Republican State Senator Dave Syverson added that the legalization process will require some adjustment.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of hiccups in trying to get that implemented -- where retail sales are going to occur, where they’re not going to occur, all the enforcement issues.”

Copyright 2019 WNIJ Northern Public Radio

Chase started in radio while earning his Master's in diplomacy and international commerce at the University of Kentucky. He was bitten by the radio bug while volunteering at Radio Eye (a local equivalent to NIRIS) and soon became a reporter at WUKY. After four years of reporting in Kentucky's Bluegrass, Chase traveled north to join WNIJ as Morning Edition producer. He organizes our morning broadcast, making sure the host is well-supplied with interesting, fresh content. In addition to his pre-dawn duties, Chase reports on a variety of developments in our broadcast area but is particularly drawn to anything with a political or international connection. He is also an avid board gamer.
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