Illinois regulators have issued guidance explaining a new cannabis law that doubles legal possession limits, permits dispensary drive-thru and curbside service, and extends store hours. Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed the omnibus measure, SB 3222, last month.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), which oversees adult-use and medical dispensaries, released a five-page fact sheet summarizing key provisions. "Dispensaries may begin offering curbside pick-up and drive-through services. However, prior to offering drive-through or curbside, licensees need to have their systems reviewed and approved by IDFPR," the guidance states, adding that stores may extend hours to 2 a.m. with local approval.
Adults 21 and older can now possess up to 60 grams of flower, double the prior limit, plus 10 grams of concentrates or infused products containing up to 1,000 mg of THC, also doubled. Non-resident limits are likewise doubled, generally set at half the resident amounts. Registered medical patients may now purchase seeds from licensed dispensaries.
Other changes: product packaging no longer must list the specific dispensary name; dispensaries can hire their own security staff instead of contracting third-party firms; security footage retention drops from 90 to 60 days; and people previously barred from holding medical cannabis agent or officer licenses due to an "excluded offense" conviction are no longer excluded, including future applicants.
Most provisions took effect immediately, but starting September 10, any licensed adult-use dispensary in good standing can opt in for a medical license to sell at the medical tax rate up to a patient's allotment. From that date, medical cannabis products must carry a federally mandated warning label applied before sale. Employee badge requirements and ownership limits were also loosened.
IDFPR called the fact sheet informational only, urging licensees to consult legal counsel, and said updates to the state's seed-to-sale tracking system may be needed. It is considering a town hall and expects to propose formal rules in coming months, per guidance first reported by Illinois New Joint.
The law also doubles the expungement threshold for past possession convictions to 60 grams, recriminalizes hemp THC products exceeding 0.4 mg of THC per container ahead of a federal ban taking effect in November, and adds female orgasmic disorder, endometriosis, ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids to the medical marijuana qualifying conditions list.
Pritzker signed the bill at a dispensary, saying he is "proud that Illinois continues to lead the nation in showing what thoughtful, balanced cannabis policy can achieve." He signed the state's original legalization law in 2019.
