Marijuana

Farmers in the U.S. have grown cannabis since the 1600s — but policymakers are still figuring out how to regulate two famous types of Cannabis sativa. A historian calls the plant "incredibly cryptic."

The average price of bud has fallen gradually, numbers show. Recreational sales grew 2.5% last year, with dispensaries logging $1.72 billion in sales.

Bloomington-Normal now has six cannabis dispensaries. Ayr Wellness, the latest, on Bradford Lane in Normal next to Moe's Southwest Grill, opened Friday.

Normal will require landlords to give tenants advance notice before entering their residences, with an ordinance the Normal Town Council approved Monday.

Next week, the town council will discuss a proposal to widen buffers around schools, daycares, churches and some residential zoning. The proposal also would tighten the state’s 1,500-foot separation rule for dispensaries.

The massive influx of federal money for Amtrak from the infrastructure law will help the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor — even though much of the rolling stock on the corridor has been replaced over the last decade, says Normal Mayor Chris Koos, a nominee to serve on the board of the passenger rail system.

The town currently has issued special-use permits to three such businesses. Two more are considering applying for similar permits, said Mayor Chris Koos.

Normal’s second and third pot shops are good to go, after the Normal Town Council on Monday approved both cannabis dispensary projects.

Bloomington will soon have quicker access to legal marijuana after the city council this week approved a zoning provision clearing the way for the new weed sales outlet near Walmart on the city's west side. Estimated potential revenue from a second marijuana sales outlet could be $300,000 a year.

A group of cannabis industry professionals wants to build a marijuana retail store in Bloomington.