Illinois cannabis sales top $2B, set new record
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said medical cannabis sales exceeded $285 million.
Sales tax collected at Illinois dispensaries totaled more than $490 million in 2024, according to the Illinois Department of Revenue.
'The numbers are clear: five years after we legalized adult use cannabis in Illinois, we're seeing the economic impact of a thriving cannabis industry,' said Gov. JB Pritzker. 'With $2 billion in record-setting sales and $490 million generated in tax revenue, our first-in-the-nation equity-focused cannabis industry is the result of my administration's policies, which prioritized repairing the damage done by the failed War on Drugs, creating more good-paying jobs, and building a safe, equitable, and prosperous business sector—making Illinois by far the national leader in diverse ownership for this industry.'
The state also said more than $385 million worth of cannabis was purchased by out-of-state residents, where cannabis consumption is illegal.
There are currently 244 cannabis dispensaries in Illinois.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Willie Wilson: Is Illinois' state procurement being used effectively to stabilize communities of color?
Government contracting with local businesses is a widely used tool to help stabilize communities. The effective use of procurement — sourcing, purchasing and managing goods and services a state agency needs to operate — can aid in job and wealth creation and lower crime. The state of Illinois spends billions of dollars annually on procurement. In 2013, African Americans, who represented 9.5% of the ownership of businesses, received less than 1% of the total contracts awarded by the state of Illinois. In 2015, the General Assembly and then-Gov. Bruce Rauner authorized creating the Fair Practices in Contracting Task Force. I served as chairman of the task force, and our final report in 2018 offered recommendations to make contracting more equitable. Our extensive work involved examining the contracting of every state agency. Our goal was to ensure parity in state contracting and boost businesses that have been left out. Gov. JB Pritzker in 2021 authorized creating the Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion. The same year, in signing legislation to expand economic opportunity, Pritzker noted that 'these four bills mark significant progress in our efforts to close the racial gaps and eliminate barriers that have for too long unfairly held Black and Brown Illinoisans back.' Illinois House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch said it was 'a monumental step toward our mission of addressing systemic racism by expanding economic access and opportunity.' The Commission on Equity and Inclusion was created in part to expand access to state contracts for minorities, women, people with disabilities and veterans. Clearly, the commission followed the work of the contracting task force. The governor could have collaborated with the task force since the goals were aligned. It is fair to ask: How has the commission improved state contracting with minority-owned firms? According to the commission's fiscal year 2024 expenditure report, much work remains to be done. A few highlights from the report: There are other examples of Illinois agencies that could do more by way of procurement with Black-owned businesses. But the most egregious example is the Department of Corrections. Consider that African Americans represent 54.5% of the total prison population in Illinois. Black people make up the majority of prisoners in Illinois, and Black businesses receive less than 0.5% of state contracts with the IDOC. Black businesses could supply clothing, food, water, cleaning supplies and other items necessary to run the prison system. An inclusive state requires accountability and removal of systemic barriers for Black businesses. In spite of affirmative action and diversity, equity and inclusion policies, disparities persist in access by Black people to capital, markets and other resources. Consequences of these disparities are high crime, inflation, poverty and double-digit unemployment in the Black community. Black-owned businesses and state governments face existential threats from the current political and legal landscape and uncertain tariff policies. However, elected leaders must not be deterred in correcting past wrongs and ensuring that all communities benefit from the use of public tax dollars through government contracting. The following are recommendations to help sustain and grow the number of Black-owned businesses: Contracting officers and elected leaders must be held accountable for their failure to improve procurement numbers for Black-owned businesses. I will convene 2,000 faith leaders and minority business owners around the state to provide recommendations regarding parity in contracting to elected leaders. Government contracting done right can have an enormous benefit to minority-owned businesses and marginalized communities. As a business owner, I reinvest my profits from contracts back into the community. Small businesses can help provide community stability. I write this commentary to make those comfortable with allowing barriers to limit state procurement contracts for Black-owned businesses uncomfortable. Willie Wilson is a business owner, philanthropist and former mayoral candidate.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
US Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly have the most cash available in Illinois US Senate race
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton may have the endorsement of the state's wealthiest politician, billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker, but she finds herself at the bottom of the major Democratic U.S. Senate contenders when it comes to how much available cash she has to campaign with as the candidates approach nine months before the primary. Stratton's two congressional rivals, U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg and Robin Kelly of Matteson, benefited from their existing federal campaign accounts and ended June with multimillions of dollars available in their bank accounts, campaign finance reports filed this week with the Federal Election Commission showed. Stratton, Pritzker's two-time running mate, on April 24 became the first candidate to announce she wanted to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Campaign reports covering the April-through-June second quarter of the year showed Stratton raised nearly $1.1 million, spent $417,286, and began July 1 with $666,416 in cash available. But a closer review of her fundraising shows that about $185,000 of that amount must be used for the Nov. 3 general election and is unavailable for her use in the March 17 primary. For this election cycle, individuals can contribute a maximum of $3,500 to a candidate for each of the primary and general elections. The records show Pritzker contributed the maximum $7,000, and her candidacy also was backed with $7,000 donations by several Chicago sports team owners: Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts, Blackhawks owner Danny Wirtz and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Krishnamoorthi, in his fifth term in the House, announced his bid for Durbin's seat on May 7, the last of the three major Democratic contenders to declare. But the northwest suburban congressman, long a prodigious fundraiser, this week became the first of the contenders to launch TV ads in the race, a statewide buy of a half-million dollars and part of a sustained TV presence. Krishnamoorthi began April with nearly $19.5 million in his campaign account and raised more than $3.1 million from April through June. That left him with $21.1 million in cash available at the start of July. About $1.1 million of that total is reserved for general election spending. Kelly, a seven-term congresswoman representing the South Side and south suburbs in a district that stretches to Danville, announced her Senate candidacy on May 6. She started the second quarter with $2 million in the bank and ended June with $2.2 million, according to her campaign report. There was no immediate estimate on how much of Kelly's money was limited to spending for the general election. Solve the daily Crossword


Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Civic leaders: Gov. JB Pritzker should veto bitter pension sweetener for Chicago
In the waning hours of the state legislative session, Springfield lawmakers unanimously passed a new mandate on city of Chicago taxpayers that will cost $60 million next year and top out at about $750 million in the coming decades. Gov. JB Pritzker should veto it. This pension sweetener legislation, shepherded through the legislature by state Sen. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, with little to no public debate, will boost pension benefits for Tier 2 police officers and firefighters, those who began work in 2011 and after and who fall under a different pension plan than their more senior colleagues. The legislation makes changes to how pensionable salary is calculated at retirement — including by increasing the cap on pensionable salary — and would increase the annual cost-of-living adjustment for pensioners. Our three organizations support reasonable retirement benefits for public employees, but we also strongly believe that the people who pay the taxes should be prioritized, too. In this case, they weren't, and the legislation, which was sent to the governor's desk, makes a very bad situation even worse. It would be a bitter pension sweetener, indeed. Right now, Chicago police and fire pension funds are grossly underfunded. Specifically, city taxpayers owe current and future retirees about $20 billion more than they have to pay police and firefighter pensions. Illinois taxpayers have an even worse problem, owing about $144 billion more than they have. For both city and state, the ratio of assets on hand to pension obligations is among the lowest in the country — around 25% funded for the Chicago police and fire funds. Chicago and Illinois have among the most underfunded pension systems in the entire country. Taxpayers are on the hook for a combined state and local pension tab of $459 billion, or more than $90,000 per household. No one wants to be miserly when it comes to our first responders. They risk their lives to protect ours, and we deeply appreciate their service. But our appreciation for their work does not erase the daunting mathematical dilemma we face as a city and a state with ever-increasing pension costs and no responsible plan to fully fund them. This new mandate comes at a time when both the city and the state are facing enormous fiscal uncertainty. The Chicago regional transit system has never recovered ridership levels since the pandemic and is now facing the possibility of extreme service cuts. A proposal to rescue and reform the system, and address a $771 million 'fiscal cliff,' fell short in the spring legislative session. What little remains of pandemic relief dollars from the federal government is drying up. The Trump administration is threatening funding cuts to both the city and the state. And the president's newly adopted budget could cut billions in federal Medicaid funding to Illinois. For years, our organizations have called for policymakers to resolve the unfunded pension issues. We have engaged with stakeholders across the state, including labor, and been open-minded about solutions, including higher taxes — so long as the incremental revenue is devoted entirely to pension funding. We have recognized and accepted the constitutional restriction on reducing benefits for current employees. And our organizations saluted state leaders when they passed the Tier 2 legislation over a decade ago to better manage benefits for future retirees and when they blocked an end-of-session effort in late May that would have added an estimated $60 billion in new benefits to the state pension systems. But now, the bill on its way to Pritzker's desk would undo much of that work, making the city less affordable, putting its credit rating at risk and shifting the cost to future generations. Illinois politicians have been doing this to the city for decades, and we are hopeful that our governor will end this fiscally irresponsible practice. At a minimum, we should have an honest assessment of the short- and long-term costs and consequences. We urge Pritzker to veto this legislation, and we also urge every member of the legislature to reconsider their position. Although they voted unanimously in favor of the sweetener just before the session gaveled to a close, they might reflect more deeply on the long-term costs and choose not to override a fiscally astute governor's veto. We also call on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and aldermen to be vocal in opposition to this legislation, making it clear to the public and state leaders that they do not support an unfunded pension mandate that will significantly worsen an already-precarious budget situation. Now that the governor has announced plans to run for a third term, we implore him to build on his strong record of improving the state's finances by prioritizing a long-term plan to stabilize state pensions. And we call on Chicago's mayor and the City Council to create a companion proposal at the local level. We stand ready to help.