Tazewell County Cannabis – Is It Legal & Where To Buy 2025

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Tazewell County?

Licensed cannabis cultivation in Tazewell County for both medical and adult use is legal. The State of Illinois’ Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program Act (410 ILS 130) legalized medical cannabis, effective January 1, 2014, and has had several updates since then. The state’s Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (410 ILCS 705), effective January 1, 2020, legalized adult-use cannabis for people aged at least 21. While 410 ILCS 705 enables counties and municipalities to enact ordinances banning licensed medical and adult-use cannabis cultivation, the Tazewell County Code of Ordinances Chapter 159 allows them.

The unlicensed home growing of medical cannabis for the cultivator’s own use only is allowed solely for the State of Illinois’ Medical Cannabis Patient Registry Program (MCPP) medical cannabis cardholders who are aged at least 21. A county or municipality is prohibited by 410 ILCS 705/55-25 from banning this. They can only do so in their primary residence, and with the agreement of the homeowner if they do not own the property. The maximum number of medical cannabis plants more than five inches tall allowed for home growers is five. These must be grown indoors or within a greenhouse on property grounds, always shielded from the sight of the public. The medical cannabis home growing privilege will be suspended if any rule violations are committed.

Licensed medical cannabis cultivators under 410 ILS 130 that existed as of January 1, 2020, were allowed under 410 ILCS 705/20-10 to apply to the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Division of Cannabis Regulation for the early approval of an adult-use cannabis cultivation center license. Other applicants have to first apply for the conditional adult-use cannabis cultivation center license before the adult-use cannabis cultivation center license. They could only start operating after receiving the latter.

The adult-use cultivation center license, according to 410 ILCS 705/20-30, covers the cultivation of a cannabis crop canopy to a maximum of 210,000 square feet, as well as the extraction of cannabis concentrate and the manufacturing of adult-use cannabis products.

Applicants may also apply instead to the IDOA for the adult-use cannabis craft grower license. This covers only the cultivation of a cannabis crop canopy to a maximum of 5,000 square feet, according to 410 ILCS 705/1-10. If market demand is high, the licensed craft grower may apply to the IDOA for expansion up to 14,000 square feet.

Tazewell County zoning regulations allow licensed adult-use cultivation centers and licensed adult-use cannabis craft growers only in the following districts:

• A-1 Agriculture Preservation
• A-2 Agriculture District
• C-2 General Commercial
• I-1 Light Industrial
• I-2 Heavy Industrial \

Licensed cannabis cultivation centers and craft growers must comply with each district’s requirements on road, side, and rear setbacks. Each facility must also be at least 1,500 feet away from any existing licensed cannabis facility. However, a licensed cannabis craft grower is allowed to be in the same location as a licensed cannabis manufacturer or a licensed cannabis dispensary.

All cannabis cultivation licensees are required by 410 ILCS 705/1-5 to grow cannabis indoors, within a locked building or greenhouse protected around the clock by a security system that has prior approval from the Illinois State Police.

There were 21 medical and adult-use cannabis cultivation centers licensed across the State of Illinois as of August 30, 2022, with one located in the City of Delavan in Tazewell County. There were 77 medical and adult-use cannabis craft growers licensed statewide as of November 1, 2022, with none in Tazewell County.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Tazewell County?

Yes, licensed cannabis product manufacturing in Tazewell County for both medical and adult use was legalized by the State of Illinois’ updated 410 ILS 130 and 410 ILCS 705. While 410 ILCS 705 enables counties and municipalities to ban licensed medical and adult-use cannabis product manufacturing by ordinance, Chapter 159 of the Tazewell County Code of Ordinances allows them.

While 410 ILCS 130/80 allows licensed medical cannabis cultivators to manufacture medical cannabis products and 410 ILCS 705/20-30 allows licensed adult-use cannabis cultivators to manufacture adult-use cannabis products, applicants may also apply instead from the IDOA for the cannabis infuser license. This only authorizes the licensee to manufacture cannabis-infused products for adult use.

Tazewell County zoning regulations allow all types of licensed adult-use cannabis manufacturing facilities only in the following districts:

• C-2 General Commercial
• I-1 Light Industrial
• I-2 Heavy Industrial

All licensed adult-use cannabis manufacturing facilities must also comply with the same setback requirements and location restrictions as licensed cultivation centers and craft growers. However, a licensed cannabis manufacturer may be on the same site as a licensed craft grower.

There were 55 medical and adult-use cannabis infusers licensed throughout the state as of November 1, 2022, with one in the City of Pekin in Tazewell County.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Tazewell County?

Yes, licensed cannabis retail for medical and adult-use cannabis and cannabis products in Tazewell County were legalized by the same updated 410 ILS 130 and 410 ILCS 705, respectively, of the State of Illinois. Although counties and municipalities are enabled by 410 ILCS 705 to ban licensed medical and adult-use cannabis retail by ordinance, these are allowed by the Tazewell County Code of Ordinances Chapter 159. Medical cannabis and medical cannabis products may only be sold to medical cannabis cardholders. Adult-use cannabis and adult-use cannabis may only be sold to persons who are aged at least 21.

Licensed medical cannabis dispensaries under 410 ILS 130 that existed as of January 1, 2020, were allowed under 410 ILCS 705/15-15 to apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) for the early approval of an adult-use cannabis dispensing organization license. Other applicants have to first apply for the conditional adult-use cannabis dispensing organization license before the adult-use cannabis dispensing organization license. They could only start their operations after receiving the latter.

Tazewell County zoning regulations allow licensed adult-use cannabis dispensary facilities only in the same districts as those allowed for licensed adult-use cannabis manufacturing facilities. They must also observe the same requirements on setbacks and location as licensed adult-use cannabis cultivation centers, craft growers, and manufacturers. However, a licensed adult-use cannabis dispensary facility may be on the same premises as a licensed adult-use cannabis craft grower or licensed adult-use cannabis manufacturer.

There were 133 adult-use cannabis dispensaries licensed all over the state as of June 1, 2023, with 55 of them also licensed as medical cannabis dispensaries. Of the two licensed cannabis dispensaries in Tazewell County, the one in the City of Pekin sells only adult-use cannabis and adult-use cannabis products while the one in the City of East Peoria is authorized to sell both medical and adult-use cannabis and cannabis products.

Licensed cannabis dispensaries are authorized by 410 ILCS 705 and 410 ILCS 130 to sell only to qualified purchasers cannabis in raw form as well as cannabis-infused products such as food, drinks, tinctures, oil, topical formulations, and more. 410 ILCS 705/55-21 mandates that a warning on the health hazards of smoking be carried by all cannabis products intended for smoking. It also requires that the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in one package of any cannabis product to be ingested be limited to 100 milligrams.

For every medical cannabis cardholder, there is a purchase limit of 2.5 ounces of medical cannabis every 14 days. The patient needs a waiver from a healthcare provider on the MCPP registry online to purchase more.

For adult-use cannabis, the limit per transaction for every state resident aged at least 21 is as follows:

• 30 grams of raw cannabis
• 5 grams of cannabis concentrate
• 500 milligrams of THC in cannabis products

Non-residents of the State of Illinois aged at least 21 may only purchase half of the limits of state residents.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Tazewell County?

It is not legal to deliver medical and adult-use cannabis and cannabis products even to medical cannabis cardholders in Tazewell County according to the State of Illinois’ updated 410 ILS 130 and 410 ILCS 705. Only the transportation of medical and adult-use cannabis and cannabis products between licensed cannabis businesses by an IDOA-licensed cannabis transporter is legal.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Tazewell County

Residents of Tazewell County may apply for a medical cannabis card from the Medical Cannabis Patient Registry Program of the State of Illinois only online. Prior to that, the patient must acquire a healthcare provider certification with a diagnosis of any of the following qualifying ailments:

• Terminal illness
• Chronic pain
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
• Tarlov cysts
• Tourette syndrome
• Neuro-Bechet’s autoimmune disease
• Hydrocephalus
• Agitation of Alzheimer’s disease
• Hydromyelia
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Seizures
• Ulcerative colitis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Nail-patella syndrome
• Dystonia
• HIV/AIDS
• Arnold-Chiari malformation
• Residual limb pain
• Myasthenia Gravis
• Polycystic kidney disease (PKD)
• Spinocerebellar ataxia
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
• Lupus
• Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
• Autism
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Migraines
• Severe fibromyalgia
• Superior canal dehiscence syndrome
• CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome Type II)
• Neuropathy
• Crohn’s disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Post-Concussion Syndrome
• Interstitial cystitis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sjogren’s syndrome
• Causalgia
• Neurofibromatosis
• Traumatic brain injury
• Anorexia nervosa
• Syringomyelia
• Hepatitis C
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Glaucoma
• Spinal cord disease
• Cancer
• Myoclonus
• Osteoarthritis
• Cachexia/wasting syndrome
• Spinal cord injury
• Fibrous Dysplasia

The certification will be uploaded by the healthcare provider electronically on the registry. The patient and any needed caregiver must then make an application by following the appropriate instructions, as follows:

• Application for patients below 18
• Application for adult patients needing a caregiver
• Application for adult patients not needing a caregiver
• Application for terminal patients below 18
• Application for adult terminal patients
• Application for caregivers

A caregiver who is a parent or a legal guardian is required for patients younger than 18.

Application requirements are:

• An electronic copy of a valid ID to prove identity
• An electronic copy of a valid document to prove residency in the State of Illinois
• An electronic copy of a valid document to prove qualification for a discounted application fee for U.S. military veterans and beneficiaries of the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement Disability, Illinois State Universities Retirement System Disability, U.S. Railroad Retirement Board Disability, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Social Security Disability Income (SSDI)

There are options to apply for a medical cannabis card with a one-year, two-year, or three-year validity, with the following fees:

According to 410 ILCS 130/60, terminally ill patients will not be charged for their medical cannabis cards.

The electronic medical cannabis card will appear in the registry account of the patient and the caregiver, respectively, and may be printed. If the electronic card is presented at a licensed dispensary, a separate valid physical ID must also be shown.

Patients of the State of Illinois’ Opioid Alternative Pilot Program (OAPP) aged at least 21 are also welcome to apply for a medical cannabis card from the Medical Cannabis Patient Registration Program through certification from their healthcare practitioner.

Further information may be requested from:

Medical Cannabis Patient Program

DPH.medicalcannabis@illinois.gov

1-855-636-3688 (9 AM - 4 PM Monday to Friday)

• *

Opioid Alternative Pilot Program

DPH.OAPP@illinois.gov

855-636-3688

How Has Cannabis Legalization Impacted the Economy of Tazewell County?

According to the tax rate finder of the State of Illinois, the local government sales tax rate of Tazewell County is 1% for medical cannabis and 10.5% for adult-use cannabis. According to the Tazewell County FY2022 Final Budget report, the county’s actual revenues from cannabis sales tax in FY 2020 was $32,300 while its local share from the cannabis use tax was $13,620. The county’s estimated revenues from cannabis sales tax for FY 2021 was $200,000 while its estimated revenues from its share of the cannabis use tax for FY 2021 was $36,000.

Additional local taxes imposed on adult-use cannabis and cannabis products in the State of Illinois are as follows:

1. In unincorporated areas, the county retailers’ occupation tax is up to 3.75% of the gross sales of licensed dispensaries.
2. In home-rule county municipalities, the county retailers’ occupation tax is up to 3% of the gross sales of licensed dispensaries.
3. In non-home-rule county municipalities, the county retailers’ occupation tax is up to 0.75% of the gross sales of licensed dispensaries.
4. The municipal retailers’ occupation tax is up to 3% of the gross sales of licensed dispensaries.

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Tazewell County

Medical cannabis was legalized effective 2014 in the State of Illinois, and adult-use cannabis was legalized effective 2020.

On the FBI’s Crime Explorer page, data sent by the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office shows that in 2020, there were three arrests for marijuana offenses, comprised of two arrests for possession and one arrest for sales. There were 29 DUI arrests in the same year.

For the State of Illinois, the same FBI page shows that in 2013, the year before medical cannabis was legalized, there were 309 arrests for marijuana possession and 45 arrests for marijuana sales, totaling 354 arrests due to marijuana offenses.

In 2015, the year after medical cannabis was legalized, there were 232 arrests for marijuana possession and 24 arrests for marijuana sales, totaling 256 arrests due to marijuana offenses.

In 2018, there were 274 arrests for marijuana possession and 12 arrests for marijuana sales, totaling 286 arrests due to marijuana offenses.

In 2021, the latest data available, which is from 2021, there were 1,159 arrests for marijuana possession and 205 arrests for marijuana sales, totaling 1,364 arrests due to marijuana offenses.

In those years, the number of DUI arrests was as follows:

• 2013: 3,861 arrests
• 2015: 3,651 arrests
• 2018: 2,815 arrests
• 20201: 4,388 arrests