Pubdate: Thu, 15 Jan 2015
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Copyright: 2015 Chicago Tribune Company
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/IuiAC7IZ
Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/82

LIFT THE SMOKESCREEN ON POT LICENSES

Gov. Pat Quinn created all sorts of mischief in his final days in 
office, but he got one thing right: He didn't sign off at the last 
minute on licenses to grow and sell medical marijuana in Illinois.

He left that to his successor, and his successor said Tuesday he's in 
no rush to act.

There is every reason for Gov. Bruce Rauner to be careful about this.

The public knows almost nothing about the applicants for the coveted 
licenses to run 21 growing facilities and 60 dispensaries across the state.

By law, the applicants' names are secret. So are the details of the 
369 applications filed. We don't know how those applications have 
been scored by state evaluators. What little we know comes from local 
zoning requests, business permit applications and other state records.

This is a state with a long and rich history of awarding lucrative 
licenses and government contracts through cronyism.

Rauner said his staff needs to learn how the approval process has 
been managed and whether changes need to be made. He's asking the 
right questions.

We understand that people want to have access to medical marijuana. 
We supported legalizing it. But the secrecy built into this process 
creates suspicion. Let's air this out - and if that requires a change 
in law, let's do it.

Growers could reap an estimated $17 million a year and more. The 
lucky license holders are likely to keep those licenses for a long time.

Illinoisans should know who's in the running, and with whose 
financial and political backing. In December, the Tribune reported 
that Jack Lavin, a former chief of staff for Quinn, is a lobbyist for 
one applicant. The Tribune found that two other applicants have 
criminal convictions. Another applicant was linked to a corporate 
shell known for hiding assets and owners. How that will affect the 
scoring of license application is ... anyone's guess.

This week disappointed lawmakers and potential patients criticized 
Quinn for failing to award the medical marijuana licenses on his way 
out the door.

"He just left the sick and the dying hanging," said Jim Champion, an 
Army veteran with multiple sclerosis who was named to the governor's 
medical cannabis advisory board.

This is a new industry in Illinois, one that is supposed to benefit 
people's health. The best way to serve patients is to award licenses 
to growers and operators proven to be above reproach. That requires a 
process that is fully transparent, so that everyone can see the 
applicants' credentials, and how these licenses are scored and awarded.

Defenders of the secrecy say the rules are designed to keep clout out 
of the vetting. Even staffers at the Department of Agriculture and 
the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation charged with 
evaluating applicants aren't supposed to see names on applications.

And yet, people in and around state government seem to know something 
about who is applying for these licenses.

Rauner goes into this with his eyes wide open. In his campaign for 
governor he said the medical marijuana licensing process was 
"rigged." He proposed disclosing the applicants' financial information.

If there's a game here, it looks like the game is up.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom