The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) is charged under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act with implementing and administering multiple aspects of the legal cannabis program, including the licensing and oversight of dispensing organizations, dispensary agents, and agent education providers.
Applications will now be accepted for the Social Equity Criteria Lottery through April 21, 2023.
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).
The Department shall deny the 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.