Since legalization in January 2020, the Community College Cannabis Vocational Pilot Program has become the largely forgotten license. The Program, managed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), was created to help prepare students for careers in the Illinois cannabis industry. The Program is scheduled to be repealed by law on July 1, 2026. Rep. La Shawn K. Ford recently introduced House Bill 4515 (HB4515), address the sunset date and other licensee concerns.

HB4515:

Repeals provisions that would automatically sunset the Program on July 1, 2026.

Authorizes the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide grants from appropriations from the Cannabis Business Development Fund to community colleges licensed under the Community College Vocational Training Program and requires the Department to adopt rules.

Provides that community colleges that received a license before the effective date of the amendatory Act shall be deemed to be licensed Responsible Vendor Program Training Providers and that such designation may be revoked for cause under rules adopted by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Replaces references to the Community College Cannabis Vocational Pilot Program and the Community College Cannabis Vocational Training Pilot Program with references to the Community College Cannabis Vocational Training Program.

The ten original colleges with licenses include:

William Rainey Harper College (Palatine)

Illinois Valley Community College (Oglesby)

Kishwaukee College (Malta)

Oakton College (Des Plaines)

Olive-Harvey College (Chicago)

Shawnee Community College (Ullin)

Southwestern Illinois College (Belleville)

Triton College (River Grove)

Wilbur Wright College (Chicago)

Heartland Community College (Peoria area)

Illinois News Joint has asked IDOA for more information about the Program, including how many colleges are currently using the licenses, how many are not and plan to let it expire, what the top suggestions from licensees are, and more. Those multiple requests were not answered. For more Illinois cannabis industry news, subscribe to Illinois News Joint’s newsletter here.

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