"With a bipartisan 38-17 vote, senators sent the House a measure that would legalize possession of up to 30 grams of cannabis for people 21 and older for personal use beginning Jan. 1 and direct Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a proponent of legalization, to pardon people with past convictions for low-level pot possession."
With this move, the bill must now pass back through the house, where it started, before being signed off by the Governor. It seems that Illinois will have legal recreational Cannabis come January 1st, 2020.
The law will allow for 5 plants for Medical Cannabis patients only, and no growing for recreational users. It weirdly states that these 5 plants must be no taller than 5 inches. I'm not sure anyone could actually follow those guidelines? 5 plants is really low too, but its' better than nothing. I will surely be growing some of my own medicine with the passage of this bill.
The license fee for a cultivator will be set at $750,000, making it impossible for anyone who isn't a multi-million dollar operator in the space to enter. This is not true legalization, it's control and regulation to the tune of picking and choosing who the winners will be. I personally would like to start a small operation within the industry, but these ridiculous fees make it impossible.
