Prior Updates Regarding the Adult Use Cannabis Business Establishment Scoring and Licensing Process

(The most recent update is at the top of this webpage; prior updates are below in reverse chronological order)

May 2022 Update on Pending Round of Craft Grow Licenses

The Department is finalizing its review of Craft Grow applications and anticipates contacting applicants in the coming weeks. Applicants should monitor the email addresses (including spam folders) and phone numbers that were provided in their application.

March 2022 Update on Pending Round of Craft Grow Licenses

The court order enjoining the Department of Agriculture from issuing additional craft grower licenses was lifted on March 14, 2022. The Department is in the process of completing all remaining reviews of craft grower applications consistent with the court's ruling. Please check this webpage for further updates on the timing of notices to applicants about their eligibility for a license. 

December 21, 2021 License Award Update Relating to the Second Round of Adult Use Cannabis Business Establishment Licenses

The Department is authorized by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act ("CRTA") to issue up to 60 additional craft grower and up to 60 additional infuser licenses by December 21, 2021. Accordingly, the Department was prepared to notify top scoring craft grower and infuser applicants by December 21, 2021, of their eligibility to receive a license pursuant to the scoring and selection process of the CRTA and its corresponding administrative rules.

On November 22, 2022, in ia GP, LLC v. Illinois Department of Agriculture, Case No. 21 CH 4835, the court ordered that the Department is not permitted to issue additional craft grower licenses pending further order of the court. However, the Department is able to proceed with license awards for infuser applicants and any remaining transporter applicants.

On December 21, 2021, the Department notified all remaining infuser and transporter applicants of their eligibility to receive a license. Applicants that choose to proceed with a license will be added to the list of current licensees on this webpage.

The Department remains committed to ensuring that all applications for licenses under the CRTA are issued in a fair and equitable manner and will continue to update this webpage regarding the scoring process and license awards.

September 22, 2021 Update Relating to the Second Round of Adult Use Cannabis Business Establishment Licenses

Scoring Process Update

The Department is authorized by the CRTA to issue up to 60 additional craft grower and infuser licenses before December 20, 2021.  Accordingly, on September 21, 2021, the Department sent out 4th round of Deficiency Notices to remaining eligible applicants from the first license issuance period. These Deficiency Notices are for missing information in exhibits that were not assigned a point value in the CRTA and its corresponding administrative rules. For craft grower and infuser applications, these include Exhibits N (Property Ownership), O (Notice of Proper Zoning), P (Organizational Information and Financial Interest Disclosure), Q (Principal Officer or Board Member Disclosure Statements), and S (Fingerprint Consent Forms). For transporter applications, these include Exhibits K (Notice of Proper Zoning), L (Financial Interest Disclosure), M (Principal Officer or Board Member Disclosure Statements), and O (Fingerprint Consent Forms). Not all eligible applicants received a Deficiency Notice in this round. An applicant who has not received a disqualification notice and did not receive a 4th round Deficiency Notice may still be eligible for a license.  The Department has provided some questions and answers regarding this round of Deficiency Notices at the link on this page titled Department of Agriculture Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Deficiency Notice Process.

Restrictions on Multiple Licenses and Principal Officer License Eligibility

Part of the scoring process includes review of applications to ensure they are eligible for licensure under the CRTA. The CRTA and the corresponding administrative rules contain some restrictions on how many cannabis business establishments an individual can be involved in, as well as how many licenses can be held in some circumstances.

For craft grower licenses:

• A person or entity awarded a license may not hold more than 3 licenses. (410 ILCS 705/30-5(c))
• No license may be issued to a person or entity who is licensed by any licensing authority as a cultivation center, or to any person or entity having more than 10% interest in a person licensed in this State as a cultivation center. (410 ILCS 705/30-20(a)
• No license may be issued to any principal officer, agent, employee, or human being with any form of ownership or control over a cultivation center. (410 ILCS 705/30-20(a))
• A person or entity licensed as a craft grower shall not have more than 10% interest in a person licensed as a cultivation center. (410 ILCS 705/30-20(b))
• No person or business entity that has any interest in a person licensed in this State as a craft grower or a craft grower agent may be a principal officer, agent, employee, or human being with any form of ownership or control over a cultivation center. (410 ILCS 705/30-20(b))
• No person or entity shall hold any legal, equitable, ownership, or beneficial interest, directly or indirectly, of more than 3 craft grower licenses. (410 ILCS 705/30-30(m))
• No person or entity employed by, or acting on behalf of, a craft grower shall hold any interest in a craft grower license that would result in the person or entity owning or controlling, in combination with any craft grower or person or entity employed by or acting on behalf of that craft grower, of more than 3 craft grower licenses. (410 ILCS 705/30-30(m))

For infuser licenses:

• No infuser license shall be issued to a person who is licensed by any licensing authority as an infuser. (8 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.410(c))
• No infuser license shall be issued to any person or entity having more than 10% interest in a person licensed in this State as an infuser. (8 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.410(c))
• No infuser license shall be issued to any principal officer, agent, employee, or human being with any form of ownership or control over an infuser. (8 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.410(c))
• No infuser license shall be issued to any applicant with a prospective principal officer or board member has served as a principal officer of board member for a registered dispensing organization that has had its registration revoked or suspended. (8 Ill. Admin. Code 1300.410(a)(4))
• No infuser license shall be issued to any applicant with a principal officer or board member fails a background check under Section 5-20 of the CRTA. (8 Ill Admin. Code 1300.410(a)(6))

For all license types, an application must be denied, and no license shall be issued if any of the following conditions are met:

• A principal officer or board member is under 21 years of age. (craft growers: 410 ILCS 705/30-25; infusers: 410 ILCS 705/35-20; transporters: 410 ILCS 705/40-20)
• A principal officer or board member has violated the CRTA or its corresponding administrative rules. (craft growers: 410 ILCS 705/30-25; infusers: 410 ILCS 705/35-20; transporters: 410 ILCS 705/40-20)
• The licensee, a principal officer, board member, or person having a financial or voting interest of 5% of more in the licensee, is delinquent in filing any required tax returns or paying any amounts owed to the State of Illinois. (craft growers: 410 ILCS 705/30-25; infusers: 410 ILCS 705/35-20; transporters: 410 ILCS 705/40-20)

Next Steps and License Announcement

Following the review of Supplemental Responses to this round Deficiency Notices and review of the principal officers pursuant to the CRTA and administrative rules, the Department will notify top scoring applicants that meet all statutory requirements of their eligibility to receive a license. This will include notifying any applicants that have principal officers that may violate the restrictions on license eligibility of their potential for licensure and what options they and their principal officer(s) have to move forward. 

In the event of a tie in scoring of the top scoring craft grower and infuser applications, the Department's administrative rules provide for drawing by lot, if necessary, for qualified applicants with the same total score (see 8 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.307(d) for craft grower and 8 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.407(d) for infusers). The Department will notify tied applicants and will provide information regarding this process.  The Department will provide an update on this webpage should such drawing(s) be necessary.

Prior to receiving a license, applicants for all license types must have their security plan reviewed and approved by the Illinois State Police (craft growers: 410 ILCS 705/30-10(a)(6); infusers: 410 ILCS 705/35-10(a)(6); transporters: 410 ILCS 705/40-10(a)(6)). The Department will provide further information to eligible applicants about this process. Licenses may be issued with conditions or special requirements, such as final review of security plans by the Illinois State Police.

Additional Updates

The Department will continue to update this webpage regarding the scoring process and license awards.

August 2, 2021 - IDOA Issues 69 Cannabis Licenses

The Illinois Department of Agriculture today issued the first round of adult use cannabis licenses established under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. The Department issued 32 initial Craft Grow licenses, 28 Infuser licenses, and 9 Transporter licenses. Additional applicants that received a Notice of Award for Craft Grow and Infuser licenses have requested and received an extension from the Department to submit their licensing fee and other documents. The Department will issue those licenses as the applicants submit the required paperwork.

Applicants who received notices of award for craft grow, infuser, or transporter licenses qualify as 83% Social Equity by ownership and 67% identify as nonwhite.  A current list of licensees is available here.

"As part of the administration's ongoing work to establish a legal cannabis industry that reflects the diversity of Illinois, the state has created multiple avenues to entry to encourage participation in the industry," said Senior Advisor to the Governor for Cannabis, Toi Hutchinson. "With the issuance of these first licenses, Illinois is expanding access to people and communities that were previously shut out. We look forward to seeing businesses get off the ground in the months ahead."

"The Department is proud to issue the first round of adult use cannabis licenses in Illinois," said Department of Agriculture Director, Jerry Costello.  "Issuing these licenses is an important step forward not only for licensees, but also for the success of the Illinois cannabis industry. The Department will continue to partner with its licensees and other state partners to ensure that Illinois remains a national leader not only in safely and efficiently-regulated cannabis production, but also in creating an inclusive industry that looks like Illinois."

July 2021 – Update Relating to Applications For Cannabis Craft Grower, Infuser, and Transporter Licenses

License Award Update

On July 15, 2021, the Illinois Department of Agriculture ("Department") will be sending Notice of Awards to top scoring craft grower, infuser, and transporter applicants notifying them that they are eligible to receive a license pursuant to the scoring and selection process of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act ("CRTA") and its corresponding administrative rules. Once these top-scoring applicants pay the required, applicable license fee, and submit a certification form, they will receive their license pursuant to the CRTA.

Pursuant to the CRTA, top-scoring applicants cannot receive their license until they pay the applicable licensing fee. Applicants for craft grower and infuser licenses have 10 business days to submit their license fees and certification form, unless they require an extension. Applicants for transporter licenses have until February 14, 2022 to submit their license fees and certification forms. A prorated fee schedule for transporter licenses can be found HERE. Once licenses have been issued, the Department will publish a list of the names of all licensees.

Social Equity Applicants are eligible for ongoing, free technical assistance through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity: Technical Assistance

Any applicant with questions concerning these Notice of Awards should contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Division of Cannabis Regulation, Bureau of Licensing and Administration by emailing agr.adultuse@illinois.gov.

Issuance of Additional Licenses

Pursuant to the CRTA, the Department will also be issuing up to 60 additional craft grower and up to 60 additional infuser licenses before December 21, 2021. Applicants who previously submitted applications for craft grower and infuser licenses that did not receive a Notice of Award may still be eligible to receive one of these additional licenses and should continue to monitor their emails and this website for additional updates. At this time, the Department is not accepting new applications for those additional licenses.

Before the Department can issue the additional licenses, the Department must send out additional Deficiency Notices to Applicants who did not previously receive the 4th round of Deficiency Notices. The 4th round of Deficiency Notices will be sent to all Applicants with missing information in exhibits that were not assigned a point value in CRTA and its corresponding administrative rules. For craft grower and infuser applications, these include Exhibits N (Property Ownership), O (Notice of Proper Zoning), P (Organizational Information and Financial Interest Disclosure), Q (Principal Officer or Board Member Disclosure Statements), and S (Fingerprint Consent Forms).

Questions and Answers about this Update

Will scores be released?
At this time, the Department is not releasing scores for any application because the final selection of all available licenses has not yet occurred.  Applications for licenses under the CRTA remain in the competitive scoring process. Scoring is not complete for applicants who previously submitted applications for craft grower and infuser licenses that did not receive a Notice of Award. Such applicants may still be eligible to receive a license pursuant to Section 30-5(b) and/or 35-5(c) of the CRTA. 

I didn't receive a Notice of Award. Does that mean my application is no longer eligible for a license?

Pursuant to the CRTA, the Department will be issuing up to 60 additional craft grower and up to 60 additional infuser licenses before December 21, 2021. In addition, the Department may re-issue any licenses awarded to applicants in the first round that do not successfully proceed to licensure. Applicants who previously submitted applications for craft grower and infuser licenses that did not receive a Notice of Award may still be eligible to receive one of these additional licenses. All applicants will be receiving a Notice providing additional information, so applicants should continue to monitor their emails and this website.

June 2021 Update Relating to Applications for Cannabis Craft Grower, Infuser, and Transporter Licenses

Scoring Process Update

On June 1, 2021, the Department of Agriculture (Department) sent out a 4th round of Deficiency Notices to top scoring applicants with missing information in exhibits that were not assigned a point value in the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA) and its corresponding administrative rules. For craft grower and infuser applications, these include Exhibits N (Property Ownership), O (Notice of Proper Zoning), P (Organizational Information and Financial Interest Disclosure), Q (Principal Officer or Board Member Disclosure Statements), and S (Fingerprint Consent Forms). For transporter applications, these include Exhibits K (Notice of Proper Zoning), L (Financial Interest Disclosure), M (Principal Officer or Board Member Disclosure Statements), and O (Fingerprint Consent Forms). Not all applicants received a Deficiency Notice in this round. Not all applicants who received the 4th round of Deficiency Notices will receive a license.  An applicant who did not receive a 4th round Deficiency Notice may still be eligible for a license.  The Department has provided some questions and answers regarding this round of Deficiency Notices at the link on this page titled Department of Agriculture Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Deficiency Notice Process.

Restrictions on Multiple Licenses and Principal Officer License Eligibility

Part of the scoring process includes review of potentially license-eligible applications to ensure they are eligible for licensure under the CRTA. The CRTA and the corresponding administrative rules contain some restrictions on how many cannabis business establishments an individual can be involved in, as well as how many licenses can be held in the following circumstances.

For craft grower licenses:

• A person or entity may only hold one license. (410 ILCS 705/30-5)
• No license may be issued to a person or entity who is licensed by any licensing authority as a cultivation center, or to any person or entity having more than 10% interest in a person licensed in this State as a cultivation center. (410 ILCS 705/30-20(a)
• No license may be issued to any principal officer, agent, employee, or human being with any form of ownership or control over a cultivation center. (410 ILCS 705/30-20(a))
• A person or entity licensed as a craft grower shall not have more than 10% interest in a person licensed as a cultivation center. (410 ILCS 705/30-20(b))
• No person or business entity that has any interest in a person licensed in this State as a craft grower or a craft grower agent may be a principal officer, agent, employee, or human being with any form of ownership or control over a cultivation center. (410 ILCS 705/30-20(b))
• No person or entity shall hold any legal, equitable, ownership, or beneficial interest, directly or indirectly, of more than 3 craft grower licenses. (410 ILCS 705/30-30(m))
• No person or entity employed by, or acting on behalf of, a craft grower shall hold any interest in a craft grower license that would result in the person or entity owning or controlling, in combination with any craft grower or person or entity employed by or acting on behalf of that craft grower, of more than 3 craft grower licenses. (410 ILCS 705/30-30(m))

For infuser licenses:

• No infuser license shall be issued to a person who is licensed by any licensing authority as an infuser. (8 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.410(c))
• No infuser license shall be issued to any person or entity having more than 10% interest in a person licensed in this State as an infuser. (8 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.410(c))
• No infuser license shall be issued to any principal officer, agent, employee, or human being with any form of ownership or control over an infuser. (8 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.410(c))
• No infuser license shall be issued to any applicant with a prospective principal officer or board member has served as a principal officer of board member for a registered dispensing organization that has had its registration revoked or suspended. (8 Ill. Admin. Code 1300.410(a)(4))
• No infuser license shall be issued to any applicant with a principal officer or board member fails a background check under Section 5-20 of the CRTA. (8 Ill Admin. Code 1300.410(a)(6))

For all license types, an application must be denied, and no license shall be issued if any of the following conditions are met:

• A principal officer or board member is under 21 years of age. (craft growers: 410 ILCS 705/30-25; infusers: 410 ILCS 705/35-20; transporters: 410 ILCS 705/40-20)
• A principal officer or board member has violated the CRTA or its corresponding administrative rules. (craft growers: 410 ILCS 705/30-25; infusers: 410 ILCS 705/35-20; transporters: 410 ILCS 705/40-20)
• The licensee, a principal officer, board member, or person having a financial or voting interest of 5% of more in the licensee, is delinquent in filing any required tax returns or paying any amounts owed to the State of Illinois. (craft growers: 410 ILCS 705/30-25; infusers: 410 ILCS 705/35-20; transporters: 410 ILCS 705/40-20)

Next Steps and License Announcement

Following the review of Supplemental Responses to the 4th round Deficiency Notice and review of the principal officers pursuant to the CRTA and administrative rules, the Department will notify top scoring applicants that meet all statutory requirements of their eligibility to receive a license. This will include notifying any applicants that have principal officers that may violate the restrictions on license eligibility of their potential for licensure and what options they and their principal officer(s) have to move forward. 

In the event of a tie in scoring of the top scoring craft grower and infuser applications, the Department's administrative rules provide for drawing by lot, if necessary, for qualified applicants with the same total score (see 8 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.307(d) for craft grower and 8 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.407(d) for infusers). The Department will notify tied applicants and will provide information regarding this process.  The Department will provide an update on this webpage should such drawing(s) be necessary.

Prior to receiving a license, applicants for all license types must have their security plan reviewed and approved by the Illinois State Police (craft growers: 410 ILCS 705/30-10(a)(6); infusers: 410 ILCS 705/35-10(a)(6); transporters: 410 ILCS 705/40-10(a)(6)). The Department will provide further information to eligible applicants about this process. Licenses may be issued with conditions or special requirements, such as final review of security plans by the Illinois State Police. The Department is making every effort to complete this scoring process quickly and efficiently, while also ensuring a fair and equitable process for all applicants.

Additional Updates

The Department will continue to update this webpage regarding the scoring process and license awards. The Department appreciates applicants' patience during the process to ensure fairness and equity in the Department's cannabis program.

January 2021 Update Relating to Applications for Cannabis Craft Grower, Infuser, and Transporter Licenses

Scoring Process Update

The scoring process for applications for adult use cannabis craft growers, infusers, and transporters continues to progress. The Department of Agriculture recently sent out communications regarding application status, including deficiency notices and notices of disqualification. The deficiency notices allow applicants the opportunity to submit a supplemental response to address areas of their application identified as having missing information. Applicants should continue to check their email regularly for correspondence from the Department.

Next Steps

Following the review of any supplemental responses, the scoring process will proceed to evaluation of the application exhibits that were not assigned a point value in the administrative rules. For craft grower and infuser applications, these include Exhibits N (Property Ownership), O (Notice of Proper Zoning), P (Organizational Information and Financial Interest Disclosure), Q (Principal Officer or Board Member Disclosure Statements), and S (Fingerprint Consent Forms). For transporter applications, these include Exhibits K (Notice of Proper Zoning), L (Financial Interest Disclosure), M (Principal Officer or Board Member Disclosure Statements), and O (Fingerprint Consent Forms). Deficiency notices will be sent to applicants with missing information concerning those Exhibits.

Following this process, the Department will notify top scoring applicants that meet all statutory requirements of their eligibility to receive a license.

License Announcement and Additional Updates

The Department will continue to update the Department's website to provide updates regarding the scoring process and the license awards as they become available. The Department appreciates applicants' patience as the process to ensure a fair and equitable cannabis program continues.

October 2020 Application and Scoring Process Update

Scoring Process Update

The Department of Agriculture (Department) is committed to ensuring that all applications for craft grower, infuser, and transporter licenses under the Cannabis Tax and Regulation Act (Act) are scored in a fair and equitable manner. The next step in the scoring process is the issuance of another round of deficiency notices. The Department is diligently working to provide this round of notices as soon as possible and will provide additional timing information when available. Following issuance of the deficiency notices, applicants will have 10 calendar days to submit complete information in response.

Property Issues and Other Requested Changes

The application process for craft grower, infuser, and transporter licenses was established to reduce barriers to entry. Applicants were not required to own or lease property to apply for those licenses. Instead, applicants were required to identify the location of a proposed facility in order to demonstrate that the proposed facility is suitable for effective and safe cultivation of cannabis and production of cannabis-infused products and that it can meet consumer demand by operating in a safe and efficient manner with minimal impact on the environment and the surrounding community.

The Department must issue licenses to the location identified in the application. See 8 Ill. Admin. Code 1300.307(c) (craft grower); 8 Ill. Admin. Code 1300.407(c) (infuser); 8 Ill. Admin. Code 1300.540(a) (transporter).

NOTE: After licenses are awarded, license holders may ask the Department to make modifications to their licenses or to approve a new location.  See 8 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.330, 8 Ill. Admin. Code 1300.315(e) (craft grower); 8 Ill. Admin. Code 1300.430, 8 Ill. Admin. Code 1300.415(e) (infuser); 8 Ill. Admin. Code 1300.560, 8 Ill. Admin Code 1300.540(c) (transporter).

Employment Status

Under the Act, applicants qualify as Social Equity Applicants if they are Illinois residents and, for applicants with a minimum of 10 full-time employees, they have at least 51% of current employees who: (i) reside in a Disproportionately Impacted Area, or (ii) have been arrested for, convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent for any offense that is eligible for expungement under the Act, or (iii) is member of an impacted family under the Act. 410 ILCS 705/1-10.  

If a Social Equity Applicant has been forced to lay off employees due to the economic conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Social Equity Applicant may inform the Department of that fact by submitting an Attestation to the Department. To do this, Social Equity Applicants should contact the Department at AGR.ADULTUSE@Illinois.gov.

If an applicant submits an Attestation to the Department and then receives a license, the applicant will be required to employ the necessary number of individuals. Specifically, within 60 days of receiving a license, the licensee must employ the number of individuals necessary to fulfill the Social Equity Applicant status as indicated on their application.

Inability to Begin Production Within Six Months

A craft grower licensee is required to begin production within 6 months after the license has been issued.  See 8 Ill. Admin. Code 1300.310(e). However, a craft grower licensee may submit a written request to the Department for an extension of time to begin production if the licensee provides a justification for being unable to do so within 6 months of license issuance.  See 8 Ill. Admin. Code 1300.310(e).  "The Department may grant an extension, at its discretion, for good cause shown. Good cause may include unforeseen events, acts of nature and other events that prevent a good faith effort."  Id.  If a licensee makes a good faith effort but is unable to construct a craft grower facility due to winter weather conditions, the Department will consider that to constitute good cause.

Additional Updates

The Department will continue to provide updates to the scoring process and the license award date on this webpage as they become available.