The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) is charged under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act with implementing and administrating multiple aspects of the adult-use cannabis program as well as the medical cannabis program, including the licensing and oversight of dispensing organizations, dispensary agents, and agent education providers.
The Department shall deny a license if any principal officer, board member, or person having a financial or voting interest of 5% or greater in the licensee is delinquent in filing any required tax returns or paying any amounts owed to the State of Illinois.
The IDFPR uses a scoring process to determine who qualifies for a license. IDFPR will award you up to 250 points if you provide a satisfactory application containing mandatory elements, including:
- Your record keeping and security plans (awarded 65 points); This includes a plan showing how you intend to prevent theft or diversion of marijuana
- Your general business and operating plans (awarded 65 points); This should show how you plan to manage your dispensary and should ideally include best practices from other dispensaries
- Your knowledge and expertise in the dispensary business (30 points); and
- A diversity plan (5 points).
An applicant that receives a Conditional Adult-Use Dispensing Organization License for a dispensary has 180 days from the date of the award to identify a physical location for the dispensing retail front. If the applicant is unable to locate a suitable location within 180 days, the Department may extend the deadline if the applicant demonstrates concrete attempts to secure a location and hardship.
The Department shall deny an application if granting the application would result in a single person or entity having a direct or indirect financial interest in more than 10 licensed dispensing organizations.