Entrepreneurs looking to get in on the business side of Illinois' new medical marijuana program are facing fierce competition. The state has come out with numbers showing just how much.
Illinois' Medical Cannabis Program is just that. A pilot. As in, not permanent. And it's designed to strictly limit who will be eligible to buy, and use, marijuana as medicine.
It's already proving to be a burgeoning business. Illinois has strict limits that will prevent almost everyone who wants to get into the marijuana growing and distributing business from getting in on the program.
159 applications were submitted by those interested in growing cannabis; of those, spokeswoman Melaney Arnold says Illinois will award 21 licenses. Illinois got 214 applications for dispensaries; only 60 will win.
Arnold says it'll be up to two panels, made of experts in policy, legal issues and horticulture, to decide.
"Some of the things the applications will be scored on include a security plan, a business and operations plan, looking at record keeping, and inventory, a financial plan, as well as having some bonus categories."
Arnold says selections should be made before year's end. Then the state will hold a second application period for districts where no qualified applications were submitted.
Cultivation Center Applications
The Illinois Department of Agriculture released the following list of applications for medical marijuana cultivation centers by district. Each district, based on state police zones, will receive one license, except for two: Cook County will be allowed to award two licenses and there is no license in District 15. That's the Illinois Tollway.
Districts #Applications Counties
District 1 – 13 Carroll,Lee, Ogle,Whiteside
District 2 – 9 DeKalb,DuPage,Kane, Lake,McHenry
District 3 – 9 Cook County
District 4 - Cook County
District 5 - 14 Grundy, Kendall, Will
District 6 - 10 DeWitt, Livingston, McLean
District 7 - 6 Henry, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island
District 8 - 7 Marshall, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell, Wood
District 9 - 8 Cass, Christian, Logan, Mason, Menard, Morgan, Sangamon
District 10 – 11 Champaign,Coles, Douglas, Edgar, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Shelby, Vermilion
District 11 - 9 Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, St. Clair
District 12 - 3 Clark, Clay, Crawford, Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Lawrence, Marion, Richland.
District 13- 8 Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Perry, Randolph, Washington, Williamson
District 14 - 3 Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, Warren
District 15 - 0 Downers Grove - Tollway
District 16 - 7 Boone, Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago
District 17 - 13 Bureau, LaSalle, Putnam
District 18 - 7 Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Montgomery
District 19 - 3 Edwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Saline, Wabash, Wayne, White
District 20 - 6 Adams, Brown, Pike, Schuyler, Scott
District 21 - 5 Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee
District 22 - 7 Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Union
Dispensary Applications
The state plans to award up to 60 dispensary licenses. Some districts will get more than one license. According to Melaney Arnold, media contact for the medical cannabis program, the districts listed below are based on population.
"In southern and central Illinois, many of the districts are the same as the Illinois State Police districts. In the northern part of the state where the population is greater, the districts are more like zone – individual counties or townships," said Arnold.
Districts #Applications Counties
District 1 – 4 Carroll, Ogle, Whiteside, Lee
District 6 - 4 Livingston, McLean, DeWitt
District 7 – 1 Rock Island, Mercer, Knox, Henry
District 8 - 7 Marshall, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell, Woodford
District 9 – 4 Cass, Christian, Logan, Mason, Menard, Morgan, Sangamon
District 10 – 8 Champaign, Coles, Douglas, Edgar, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Shelby, Vermilion
District 11 – 11 Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, St. Clair
District 12 - 1 Clark, Crawford, Cumberland,Effingham,Fayette, Jasper, Lawrence, Marion, Richland
District 13 – 2 Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Perry, Randolph, Washington, Williamson
District 14 – 1 Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, Warren
District 16 – 6 Boone, Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago
District 17 – 4 Bureau, LaSalle, Putnam
District 18 - 1 Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Montgomery
District 19 - 1 Edwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Saline, Wabash, Wayne, White
District 20 - 2 Adams, Brown, Pike, Schuyler, Scott
District 21 - 0 Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee
District 22 - 1 Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Union
District 23 - 0 DeKalb County
District 24 – 23 DuPage County
District 25 - 3 Grundy and Kendall
District 26 – 14 Kane County
District 27 - 5 Lake County
District 28 - 2 McHenry County
District 29 - 10 Will County
District 30 - 3 Barrington, Hanover, Palatine townships
District 31 - 12 Elk Grove and Schaumburg townships
District 32 - 6 Maine and Wheeling townships
District 33 - 2 New Trier and Northfield townships
District 34 - 15 Evanston and Niles townships
District 35 - 12 Leyden, Norwood Park, Proviso townships
District 36 - 3 Berwyn, Cicero, Oak Park, River Forest, Riverside townships
District 37 - 4 Lemon, Lyons, Palos townships
District 38 - 5 Calumet, Stickney, Worth townships
District 39 - 3 Bremen, Orland, Rich townships
District 40 - 7 Bloom and Thornton townships
District 41 - 6 Jefferson Township
District 42 - 2 Hyde Park Township
District 43 - 2 Lake Township
District 44 - 3 Lakeview Township
District 45 - 3 North Township
District 46 - 1 Rogers Park Township
District 47 - 0 South Township
District 48 - 10 West Township
(This post was updated at 5:00PM, October 2, 2014.)
