* One of the overlooked aspects of the cannabis/hemp omnibus bill is the easing of some restrictions on the heavily regulated cannabis industry. Tribune…

For Illinois residents, the bill increased the limits to 60 grams, or about 2 ounces, of flower used for smoking, 1,000 milligrams in infused products like edibles, and 10 grams of cannabis concentrate. Out-of-state residents may possess half that much.

Dispensaries would be allowed to stay open until 2 a.m., rather than the current 10 p.m. closing time, unless local communities set other hours.

Most importantly for medical cannabis users, the bill would allow any licensed dispensary to sell what’s designated as medical cannabis, which is not subject to the same high retail taxes as recreational weed. Previously, only certain dispensaries sold such tax-exempt products, forcing purchases in some cases to drive long distances. […]

For the first time, the bill also would allow drive-thru service. And licensed cannabis would be permitted to be accessible in a car as long as it’s in the original sealed packaging.

Illinois is infamous for this sort of thing. It happened with medical cannabis as well. The playbook is always the same: Include a ton of regulations to make sure it can pass, then spend years loosening those regulations because so many are overly burdensome or simply unworkable.

* CNI…

Cannabis social equity operators would be allowed to hire their own security staff rather than contract with a third party — a requirement that’s viewed as one of the largest regulatory costs on licensees.

Canopy space allowed for craft growers would increase from 5,000 square feet to 14,000 square feet. […]

Home rule communities would be prohibited from making their own cannabis tax structures on a per-weight basis

Dispensaries would have an additional six months to become operational. They currently have just under two years.

The definition of “principal officer” would change from 1% to 10% in privately-held businesses. The idea is to help social equity operators attract minority investors who, under the current system, are subject to strenuous compliance burdens.

* MJ Biz Daily…

Waive or reduce renewal fees for small cannabis operators

Require social equity transporters to handle 50% of cannabis transport