Coverage of Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio.
The judge did not indicate when she might lift the court order first filed in June 2021 that bars the state from issuing dispensary licenses to last summer’s license lottery winners.
Spokespeople from three large cannabis companies operating in Illinois released statements that they support craft grow owners of color, but oppose the current legislation because it does not guarantee diverse owners will reap the rewards.
“How is it fair for me as a manufacturer that I should pay hundreds of thousands of dollars a year knowing that the accuracy is suspect at times and when we know there is dirty material that’s still on the shelves?”
“When we talk to investors, people look at the 5,000 square feet, and it is impossible to make those numbers work at 5,000. At 14,000, things look a lot better.”
The Verilife call center is the sixth cannabis business in Illinois to organize with Local 777.
Michigan cannabis sales were $152.6 million for the first month of the year. That’s 15% below its December 2021 sales.
“If the competition is going to do it and I don’t, then I will lose customers. I operate delivery at a loss.”
The subsidized loans were expected to be a lifeline for many license winners, since craft grow startup costs were expected to be in the multi-million dollar range and many social equity license winners lacked relationships with trusted investors.
“It is much less [expensive] because CBD is much cheaper. You can procure CBD with a much lower pricing system.”
The license locations for these companies were released on January 26.
