In the final hours of the legislation session, Illinois House and Senate passed the most comprehensive amendments to laws pertaining to the cannabis and hemp industries in the state. The bill now heads to Governor J.B. Pritzker to sign into law.

The cannabis-related amendments were attached, as a “shell bill,” to Senate Bill 3222 this weekend. SB3222, originally filed with amendments to the Public Utilities Act, had already passed the Senate. House legislators passed the cannabis and hemp amendments to SB3222and then sent the bill back to the Senate for a final vote.

SB3222’s hemp- and cannabis-related changes:

1. Created the Illinois Hemp Act and regulatory rules for hemp products
2. Doubled cannabis purchase limits for medical patients, in-state customers, and out-of-state customers
3. Created a social equity experience lottery for infuser licenses, including hemp business operators
4. Allowed medical patients to purchase products from all adult-use dispensaries at the medical tax rate
5. Added dispensary pickup and drive-through services
6. Increased cannabis possession limits for in-state residents and out-of-state residents
7. Established a cannabis transporter storage site program
8. Expanded transporting organization operating hours to any time of day
9. Provided fee waivers and reductions for small businesses
10. Increased square feet of canopy space for craft growers to 14,000
11. Added disciplinary action against licensees for engaging in a pattern of nonpayment or late payment for goods or services to a cannabis business establishment
12. Created enforcement mechanisms targeting anti-competitive practices
13. Added hardship fee waivers for craft grower, infuser, and transporter license and renewal fees
14. Allowed relocation applications for adult-use dispensing organization licensee
15. Reduced video surveillance retention and camera storage requirements
16. Added a warning label specifically targeted to medical patients
17. Authorized telehealth appointments for medical cannabis certifications
18. Extended dispensaries hours of operations
19. Doubled the threshold for certain minor possession offenses
20. Removed third-party security contract mandates
21. Updated ownership and investment disclosure requirements
22. Extended Illinois’ community college cannabis training program
23. Officially expanded qualifying conditions to include endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and others
24. Made other technical and administrative changes

“Our goal with this legislative package is to ease regulatory burdens on cannabis businesses, especially those small socially-equity businesses to help them grow and thrive and compete,” said Rep. Will Guzzardi. “And also to address the Federal changes (related to hemp).”

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