Pubdate: Wed, 01 Jan 2020
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN)
Copyright: 2020 Star Tribune
Contact:  http://www.startribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/266

ILLINOIS SEES FIRST LEGAL SALES OF RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA

CHICAGO - The sale of marijuana for recreational purposes became legal
Wednesday in Illinois to the delight of pot fans - many who began
lining up hours early at dispensaries.

About 500 people were outside Dispensary 33 in Chicago. Renzo Mejia
made the first legal purchase in the shop shortly after 6 a.m., the
earliest that Illinois' new law allowed such sales.

"To be able to have (recreational marijuana) here is just
mind-boggling," Mejia told the Chicago Sun-Times after buying an
eighth of an ounce called "Motorbreath."

Illinois already allowed medical marijuana, but it is now the 11th
state to allow its use and sale for recreational purposes. The law
approved by the Democratic-controlled Legislature and signed by
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker allows people 21 or older to possess of
up to 30 grams (1.06 ounces) of cannabis flower and up to 5 grams
(0.17 ounces) of cannabis concentrate.

Pamela Althoff, executive director of the Springfield-based Cannabis
Business Association of Illinois, told The Associated Press that she
spent much of Wednesday morning in Chicago and the city's northwestern
suburbs. She said wait times of up to three hours were getting shorter
as the day progressed.

"It has been joyous and well-run," she said. "People are
extraordinarily courteous and civil."

Police were on-hand at most shops mostly to control
traffic.

Althoff cautioned that recreational marijuana may not be consumed in
public and added that like all new products, it may be a little expensive.

"We hope that down the line it will become less expensive," she said.
"The message from the industry is not promoting or opposing, it's the
state of Illinois made it legal and we're here to provide a safe and a
quality product for those who wish to consume. We encourage our
customers to be responsible."

Mary Yazel-Muska, 65, told the Chicago Tribune that she planned to
celebrate her purchase from a dispensary in suburban Mundelein with
champagne and edibles at home with her boyfriend.

"I'm a responsible human being," Yazel-Muska said. "I own a home. I
worked for a bank as a fraud investigator for 20 years. I rescue dogs.
I volunteer. I take care of my 93-year-old mother. It's not like we're
all a bunch of hippies."

Cannabis sales could generate $250 million for Illinois by 2022,
according to estimates by state officials.

Neighboring Michigan made recreational marijuana legal starting Dec.
1. Missouri voters made medical marijuana legal in 2018, but the state
is still working on licensing businesses. The sale and use of weed for
any reason still are illegal in Indiana and Wisconsin.

Michigan has 23 retailers licensed for adult-use recreational sales.
Its single-transaction limit is the same for residents and
nonresidents.

In Illinois, nearly three dozen dispensaries have been issued licenses
to sell recreational marijuana.

A key part of Illinois' law is the expungement of some low-level
marijuana convictions. On Tuesday, Pritzker granted more than 11,000
such pardons.

Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton bought pot edible gummies 
Wednesday from a Chicago dispensary, WBBM-TV reported.

"I'm here to celebrate a big day in Illinois," Stratton said.

Pritzker's administration said "Illinois has achieved a monumental milestone" 
with the launch of legalized cannabis.

It "includes communities left behind for far too long, creates good jobs and 
expunges thousands of records for those who have lost out on opportunities 
and ends prohibition," said Toi Hutchinson, senior advisor to the governor 
for Cannabis Control.

But a national alliance that opposes marijuana legalization said Tuesday 
night that marijuana commercialization is a bad idea.

"In the end, big pot only cares about being able to peddle its addictive, 
highly potent products in disadvantaged communities as it takes its playbook 
from big tobacco," said Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to 
Marijuana. "This what we have seen in every single state that has gone down 
this road, and we have no reason to expect Illinois' experience to be any 
different."
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MAP posted-by: Matt