Jacksonville’s first cannabis dispensary should be opened by the end of the year.
The Journal Courier reports that Kenny Pleasant of Kush21 should be receiving his dispensary license from the State of Illinois by the first weeks of August.
The State of Illinois had been at a stalemate with a federal lawsuit about residency requirements for state cannabis dispensary licensing. The Chicago Tribune reported last month that Cook County Circuit Judge Michael Mullen lifted the stay that was issued last year, allowing the state to begin licensing new businesses, many of them started by Black and Latino owners.
The state plans to issue licenses in three waves. The first wave, for the Chicago area, is to be issued by July 22. The next wave, for other regions with multiple licenses, is due by August 5th, with the final wave for districts with a single license on August 19th.
The pace of licensing will be determined by how quickly applicants’ compliance checks can be verified for payment.
Kush21’s Jacksonville location at 1112 Veterans Drive will be its first outside of the State of Washington. Kush21 has 10 stores considered to be some of the top dispensaries in Washington. Pleasant told the Journal-Courier that the store will have a staff of 10 people.