VENTURE

“THIS INDUSTRY
HAS PROVIDED
ME WITH EVERYTHING
I COULD ASK FOR.
IT’S GOT RISK.
IT’S GOT CONTROVERSY.
I FEEL LIKE WE’RE
IN A WAGON TRAIN
Strict regulations, low patient enrollment
and political infighting
all contributed to a slow start for
medical marijuana in Illinois.
However, while the fledgling program still faces a wide
range of challenges, business owners and investors have a
renewed sense of optimism with the expectation of several
legislative changes that provide an economic boost and, more
importantly, options for patients.
In May, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 10, which would extend
the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program until July 2020.
Licensed growers and dispensary owners now hold their breath as they
wait for Governor Bruce Rauner to sign the bill into law. At the time of
publication, the governor had not done so.
“We expect the governor to sign this legislation quickly,” said Tim McGraw,
CEO of Revolution Enterprises, one of the largest state-licensed cultivators in
Illinois.
The extension provides some assurance for the state’s slow-moving program,
which had been set to expire at the end of 2017 and had received little in the way
of help from a deadlocked state Legislature.
Despite the challenges ahead, the industry is far too young to write off just yet,
said Larry O’Hern, CEO of Nature’s Grace and Wellness.
HEADING WEST.
IT’S THE NEW
FRONTIER.
86 | Marijuana Venture // July 2016