Illinois Marijuana Licensing

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Illinois Marijuana Cultivation License >
Illinois Marijuana Distribution License >
Illinois Marijuana Manufacturing >
Illinois Marijuana Testing License >

What License Types Exist in Illinois?

There are 13 cannabis business license types in Illinois issued to business entities and individuals based on the cannabis-related activities they wish to undertake. These licenses are:

Adult-Use Cultivation Center License

This license type allows businesses to grow, cure, package, and dry marijuana plants and process cannabis products for sale to licensed cannabis businesses. As stipulated in Article 20 of the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, an adult-use cultivation center licensee may have up to 210,000 square feet of space for growing flowering cannabis plants.

Conditional Adult-Use Dispensing Organization License

This temporary license is issued to applicants for adult-use dispensing organization licenses that may obtain permanent licenses if they meet specific eligibility criteria. However, Article 1 of the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act stipulates that a conditional adult-use dispensing organization license does not entitle a holder to start buying or selling marijuana or marijuana products.

Adult-Use Dispensing Organization License

This license type allows a business owner to buy cannabis, cannabis products, cannabis seeds, paraphernalia, and other related supplies for sale to recreational cannabis users 21 years and older, medical marijuana patients, and caregivers. An adult-use dispensing organization licensee may purchase supplies from a licensed cultivation center, processing organization, craft grower, or another dispensary.

Early Approval Adult-Use Cultivation Center License

This license type permits a medical cannabis cultivation center license holder to grow, package, and transport marijuana and marijuana products to other licensed cannabis businesses for resale to recreational cannabis users 21 years and above.

Early Approval Adult-Use Dispensing Organization License

This license type allows licensed medical cannabis dispensing organizations to sell cannabis and cannabis products to recreational cannabis users 21 years and older at separate dispensary locations from their registered medical dispensary sites.

Conditional Adult-Use Cultivation Center License

This is a temporary license issued to top-scoring applicants for adult-use cultivation center licenses. However, a conditional adult-use cultivation center license does not entitle a holder to start cultivating, selling, or processing cannabis or cannabis products.

Craft Grower License

This license type allows a business to cultivate, cure, dry, and package marijuana to make it available for sale at a licensed cannabis dispensary organization or use at a licensed cannabis processing organization. A craft grower is permitted to have up to 5,000 square feet of space, subject to increase or decrease by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, for growing flowering cannabis plants.

Infuser Organization License

This license type permits businesses to incorporate marijuana or marijuana concentrates into product formulations to yield marijuana-infused products.

Processing Organization License

This license type allows businesses to process extracts from marijuana plants to produce cannabis concentrates and incorporate cannabis concentrates into product formulations to yield cannabis products.

Transporting Organization License

This license type is issued to businesses for transporting cannabis and cannabis products for licensed cannabis businesses or licensed community colleges for the Community College Cannabis Vocational Training Pilot Program.

Community College Cannabis Vocational Pilot Program License

This license type allows Illinois community colleges to provide student instructions using marijuana plants. According to the provisions of Article 25 of the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, licensees may offer courses that allow participating students to study, work with, and grow marijuana plants.

Medical Cannabis Cultivation Center License

This license allows businesses to grow cannabis for sale to licensed medical cannabis dispensing organizations.

Medical Cannabis Dispensing Organization License

This license type allows businesses to purchase cannabis from licensed medical cannabis cultivators and sell them to registered medical marijuana patients and caregivers. A medical cannabis dispensing organization licensee may also sell paraphernalia and educational materials to patients, caregivers, and Opioid Alternative Pilot Program (OAPP) participants.

Laboratory Testing License

This license type is issued to laboratories for testing cannabis and cannabis products intended for sale at dispensaries or use by licensed cannabis businesses. According to the provisions of Article 50 of the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, laboratory testing licensees cannot own or have an ownership interest in any other cannabis license category.