[2] A first in the nation, Illinois will also expunge an estimated 700,000 marijuana-related police records and court convictions in a phased approach forecast to be completed by 2025.
[7] In 1931, Illinois prohibited recreational use of cannabis, as part of a nationwide trend across 29 states in the early 20th century.
[9][10] The Illinois General Assembly passed the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act in 2013 (MCPP).
[19] On August 28, 2018, Illinois' medical cannabis program greatly expanded becoming available as an opioid painkiller replacement.
Some estimate the expansion could bring in up to 365,000 new patients into the medical marijuana program generating an additional $425 million in revenue for the state.
B. Pritzker signed into law legislation that once again expands Illinois' medical cannabis program and also makes it permanent.
On December 31, 2020, Governor JB Pritzker announced that his administration granted pardons for 9,210 low-level cannabis convictions and the wiping of 492,000 non-felony cannabis-related arrest records.
[34][35] Under the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, which took effect on January 1, 2020, stipulated that medical marijuana patients could grow up to five plants at a time in their home or on their property.
In regards to cultivating cannabis commercially, only Illinois' existing licensed medical marijuana facilities were able to grow the crop initially.
However, in 2020 "craft growers" will be able to apply for licenses to cultivate cannabis for commercial use for no larger than 5,000 square feet (460 m2) of crop.
[36] In December 2023, the Governor signed into law a bill that waivers and suspends transport licence fees — until January 1, 2027 — for the cannabis industry, including corporations and business associates.