Bloomington now has its first adult-use cannabis dispensary. The new Beyond/Hello store, located on Veterans Parkway near the intersection of G.E. Road, opened its doors to customers Tuesday morning.
Gov. JB Pritzker issued 9,219 pardons for low-level marijuana convictions on Thursday, New Year’s Eve, while announcing the Illinois State Police had expunged all eligible records at the state level for marijuana related arrests.
New research funded by State Farm shows there are still misconceptions about cannabis and driving safety -- and that 1 in 8 adults admits to having driven under the influence of marijuana.
Some lawmakers and stakeholders are asking Gov. JB Pritzker to hold off awarding 75 marijuana dispensary licenses amid concerns that just 21 applicants qualified for the first round of licenses.
McLean County plans to use a portion of revenue from a new sales tax on recreational cannabis to pay for mental health services, based on a plan the County Board adopted Tuesday.
McLean County administration is proposing maxing out its tax rates for recreational marijuana sales, as a starting point for discussions the county’s elected leaders plan to have in the coming weeks.
Most parts of Bloomington-Normal will be eligible for a new state grant program funded by cannabis sales revenue that’s aimed at those communities hardest hit by the war on drugs.
McLean County residents with minor cannabis convictions are expected to soon have their records wiped clean. But it’s unclear just how soon, and how many people will benefit.
The McLean County Board on Tuesday narrowly struck down proposals that would have enabled the county to opt-out of allowing marijuana sales in unincorporated areas of the county or could have allowed county residents to weigh in through an advisory referendum.
Bloomington City Council members say they welcome marijuana dispensaries in their city when recreational pot becomes legal Jan. 1, but they aren’t ready to embrace so-called cannabis cafes, saying they require more study.
Bloomington's city council is expected to formally adopt a policy regulating cannabis businesses on Monday night, about two weeks before recreational marijuana use becomes legal in Illinois.
A McLean County Board member wants the public to have a say on where a marijuana business might be allowed to locate when recreational cannabis use becomes legal in Illinois next year.
Mayor Tari Renner said he doesn’t expect Bloomington City Council members to opt out of cannabis sales, but they likely won’t allow “cannabis cafes” with on-site consumption.
After unanimously approving the property tax levy for the current fiscal year Monday, the Bloomington City Council started looking ahead to a final decision on recreational cannabis sales.
Residents of Bloomington’s oldest neighborhood have taken several steps to embrace its history and diversity in a plan that city officials hope will be a model for other neighborhoods to follow.
Bloomington’s Planning Commission is looking to make the city the first in Illinois to allow marijuana sold at dispensaries to be consumed on site, a so-called cannabis cafe.
A leader with the local Black Lives Matter chapter is urging the Bloomington City Council to allow cannabis sales as a form of reparations for the drug war’s injustices against people of color.
The zoning amendment that will go before the Normal Town Council for consideration Nov. 18 would allow cannabis-related businesses to locate in the town — with restrictions.
A Bloomington council member who served on the Cannabis Task Force says she’ll support allowing sales in her city—but so-called “cannabis cafes” may be a bridge too far.
McLean County officials are starting to explore how welcoming they may be for recreational marijuana sales when they become legal next year, even though the odds are slim the county would get a dispensary in an unincorporated area.
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
State officials said Monday that Bloomington’s west side and neighborhoods around Illinois State University were among the hardest-hit by the war on drugs – and those living there should get a leg up when cannabis becomes legal next year.
