Legal pot on Jan. 1 ‘changes everything’
New year ushering in new era in criminal law, daily life across Illinois
This New Year’s Day will be celebrated like no other in Illinois. At the stroke of midnight Jan. 1, possession and consumption of limited amounts of marijuana will become legal in Illinois for recreational use.
No doubt, some people will light up to celebrate. But, because only sales from licensed dealers will be authorized, it won’t be legal to buy or sell cannabis until those stores open, starting at 6 a.m. at the earliest. That’s when the real party will begin for some.
After a decadeslong push to legalize it, cannabis legalization in Illinois begins a new era in criminal law and daily life. As happened in the 10 other states that legalized commercial sales, long lines and short supplies are expected.
Only 35 stores have been authorized to open statewide — fewer than the number of Starbucks in downtown Chicago. That’s about one store for every
28,000 of the estimated 1 million or so potential customers, though they won’t all show up on one day.
As with the prohibition of alcohol a century ago, the ban on pot was meant to prevent crime and social decay, but critics said it instead financed organized crime and disproportionately put blacks behind bars, while people kept consuming illegally anyway.
“Prohibition doesn’t work,” was the mantra of the chief sponsors of the law, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy and state Sen. Heather Steans. The Chicago Democrats said the change will generate tax revenue and increase public safety by requiring testing of products for pesticides and contaminants like mold, and to ensure they contain the potency claimed.
Opponents of the law fear it will increase use and dependence, particularly among teens. While adult use has gone up in some states where pot’s been legalized, teen use has remained fairly stable.
In any case, Day 1 weed sales are expected to be “off the charts,” based on the experience in California reported by market researchers BDS Analytics, which described huge crowds in a festive mood lining up from the early morning. Sales stayed strong all that week.
In anticipation of high demand, many medical marijuana dispensaries, which get the first chance to offer recreational sales, have been expanding and remodeling.
Cresco Labs rebranded its stores under the name Sunnyside, with the stated mission on its website to “normalize responsible cannabis use.” Green Thumb Industries renamed some of its five stores Rise, and expanded some of its sites, including the most popular store in the state in Mundelein. For opening day, both chains plan to offer tents, food and beverages to waiting customers, with Cresco renting a cafe near its site in Lakeview.
In west suburban Addison, the owners of EarthMed dispensary more than doubled the capacity of their facility by adding six new sales windows to their four existing windows. Their store was still a construction site two weeks before recreational sales, with plywood walls and black plastic tarp.
The work was designed to enlarge the customer area to make room for lines that already stretch out the door and into the street on busy days.
Growers and retailers alike have been stocking up for Jan. 1, and EarthMed founders Mike Perez and Gus Koukoutsakis said many products have been sold out for the past month or so. Consequently, they cut their menu of 800 products almost in half.
The owners limited the sale of flower to one-eighth of an ounce, to save supply for as many customers as possible.
“Due to a statewide flower shortage, some products may be limited to one a day,” their website cautioned.
Yet the owners — who started as partners running the American Tap Pub & Eatery in Addison — are on a hiring spree, planning to increase their staff from 12 to more than 30 employees.
“We’ve had good luck with Starbucks workers,” Perez said. “They can handle high volume, and they offer good customer service.”
They also hope to open more dispensaries in Illinois if they can win the state competition for more licenses.
Up to 55 existing medical cannabis dispensaries are eligible to get state approval, but they also need local approval, and many suburbs have opted out of allowing cannabis businesses.
In addition, up to 75 more recreational cannabis retail licenses are to be awarded by May 1. While the existing businesses are almost exclusively owned by white investors, the additional licenses will be weighted to favor “social equity” applicants, who were disproportionately hurt by the war on drugs, such as those with past low-level marijuana convictions or who live in poor neighborhoods.
In addition, only existing medical growers have been allowed to supply the new recreational market. Future licenses will be awarded to small craft growers, again with preference to social equity applicants.
Robert Patterson, a medical cannabis patient from Villa Park who uses the drug to treat side effects from Crohn’s disease, said in anticipation of recreational sales he’s been stockpiling marijuana for about eight months.
“I’m a little concerned whether growers will maintain the medical supply,” Patterson said. But he said all the advantages of a legal medical market will also apply to recreational customers.
“It works,” he said. “I know where it’s coming from. It’s better stuff. It’s legal. There are a lot of positives.”
Researchers say the full effects of legalization remain to be seen. The majority of cannabis consumers use it occasionally without incident.
But surveys of thousands of marijuana users in New Zealand, where pot is illegal, found that those who became dependent on cannabis experienced more problems with finances, in the workplace and in relationships, said study co-author Terrie Moffitt, a professor of psychology at Duke University in North Carolina.
“Once you legalize a drug, it changes everything,” Moffitt said. “It changes the stigma, the risk of arrest, accessibility and frequency of use.”
In general, BDS market analysts found people fall into three camps when it comes to weed: consumers, average age 39, who have used marijuana in the past six months; accepters, median age 49, who haven’t used cannabis lately but would consider it: and rejecters, average age 56, who are not planning to use it.
Most of those who don’t use pot say they don’t like the way it makes them feel, BDS found, with 25% reporting it made them feel dysfunctional. Some of those who like it, on the other hand, use it throughout the day.
Marijuana possession remains illegal under federal law, but police aren’t expected to enforce that ban. Under the new state law, adult residents 21 and older may possess up to 30 grams of flower, 5 grams of concentrates, and 500 milligrams of THC in infused edibles and other products, and visitors may have half that much.
Only medical marijuana patients may grow their own, and any amount in a vehicle must be sealed and reasonably inaccessible while the vehicle is moving.
As for prices, they are expected to be high compared with other legal states and the illegal market. A 1-gram pre-rolled joint was going for $15 to $20 at some Illinois dispensaries for medicinal pot customers, while one-eighth of an ounce, a common purchase point, was often running around $50 to $60. Recreational prices are expected to be similar.
Taxes will add another 10% for products with up to 35% THC — the component of pot that gets users high — while cannabis-infused products such as edibles will be taxed at 20%, and products with more than 35% THC will be taxed at 25%.
“Once you legalize a drug, it changes everything. It changes the stigma, the risk of arrest, accessibility and frequency of use.”
— Terrie Moffitt, a professor of psychology at Duke University