This Is Illinois
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Great. We’ve got our first approved store but there’s no product to sell…
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional announced Tuesday the first registered [medical marijuana] dispensary is called Harbory. It’s located in the southern Illinois city of Marion.
Registration means the industry is one step closer to sales. But so far no growers have products to sell. Sales are expected later this year.
- Homer J. Quinn - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 10:49 am:
every politician who makes a statement about MMJ in this state stresses that is has to be done cautiously and incrementally. they’re going to be so cautious and incremental that they stifle the industry.
- Wordslinger - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 10:51 am:
yeah, the clout-heavy state-designated growers, with no legal competition, can afford to take their sweet time.
How’s about moving forward, and allowing some entreneurship, a free market, into the equation?
Let a thousand buds bloom.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 10:53 am:
Later this year friends, later this year.
meanwhile, there are shops that wish to get in place and stalling on zoning. people need to speak up for those in need.
- walker - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 10:54 am:
One of the shocking realities in Illinois is that there can be years between passing and signing a bill into law, and its implementation in the real world. Not just with important or controversial things like this.
- walker - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 11:09 am:
Need product? I know a guy.
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 11:09 am:
It is no doubt very frustrating that MMJ is taking this long to get going in Illinois. States that have legalized recreational marijuana have taken about a year to get to market.
The real benefits to patients, responsible adult marijuana consumers and tax coffers would be extension of the MMJ program plus recreational legalization in Illinois.
Colorado is raking in recreational/MMJ tax revenue. Colorado set a recreational sales revenue in June 2015 and pulled in almost $61 million in tax revenue for the first half of 201
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 11:11 am:
Oops, sorry for the double post. I inadvertently hit the wrong button.
Colorado pulled in almost $61 million in tax revenue in the first half of 2015. Much of that goes to schools. We can really use the revenue and avert at least some harsh cuts to the poor and middle class.
- LIberty - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 11:48 am:
Obviously you city folks have no clue. Ag products don’t just magically appear because they now have permission.
- a drop in - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 12:10 pm:
Didn’t we hear the same comments on concealed carry? That worked itself out and this will also.
- Anonymous Redux - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 12:59 pm:
I wish MPP would have kept out of the process…live and learn.
@Karen O’Keefe…Thanks for nothing ,Smiley.
@Dan Riffle…Still waiting, Dan…for you to keep your promise.
- DuPage Saint - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 2:00 pm:
What retired politician or brother in law to a current elected official owns Harbory?
- Jeff Trigg - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 2:00 pm:
Let patients and caregivers grow their own, like most medical cannabis states allow. There is no good reason to force poor patients to spend a lot of money on medicine they could provide for themselves at a fraction of the cost.
- Wordslinger - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 2:07 pm:
What JT said. It’s highly disappointing that med-mar became a “I can smell the meat-a-cookin” deal in Illinois.
It’s about four steps behind where the whole country is going, anyway, with legalization.
Want some growth industry in rural Ilinois, something to break up the corporate bean and corn stranglehold? Let some craftsmen go to work in the marketplace.
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 2:07 pm:
This rollout (pun intended) has been terrible.
Rep. Lang had the best intentions, but he may have made the language too strict and too burdensome for smaller growers & vendors.
Governor Quinn dropped the ball and easily could have righted the ship before he left office. Governor Rauner has not done nearly enough to speed up the process.
- Jeff Trigg - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 2:37 pm:
Wordslinger, I agree with your assessment as well. This system was not set up to benefit the patients in the best way possible, it was set up to provide a cottage industry for a few “lucky” folks. I’d like to see the whole thing scrapped and have them start over. But in the mean time, let patients and caregivers grow their own so they can start getting some relief ASAP.
I think a system that would allow a couple hundred non-profit growers’ collectives that serviced only a couple hundred patients per collective would create a lot more jobs and more availability to the medicine.
Instead of out of state investors set up to make the money off of medicine, the patients themselves would be the ones to benefit the most. They sure could use the extra income from growing a dozen or so plants a lot more than the people with all the grow licenses now.
- Homer J. Quinn - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 2:46 pm:
every day that we don’t have full legalization is another day that the government can punish you for having the wrong kind of flowers in your pocket. maybe that’s a fine, maybe it’s asset forfeiture, maybe it’s jail time, but it’s not defensible or sane. that’s why the delays are so frustrating. while politicians dither and businessmen line up for their cut, regular people are still getting arrested.
- anon - Wednesday, Aug 26, 15 @ 4:50 pm:
So Grandson, smoke some weed to benefit the school kids. I can see the ads now!!!