Less than two weeks before adult-use recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois, the state Department of Agriculture announced that all 21 cultivation centers that have been licensed to grow medical marijuana are now licensed also to grow for adult use.
The final three companies to be approved were Bedford Grow LLC, in Bedford Park, IL Grow Medicine LLC in Elk Grove Village and JG IL LLC in Edgewood.
Under the marijuana legalization law passed during the 2019 legislative session, cultivation centers already licensed to grow medical marijuana were allowed to apply for early approval of licenses to grow for adult use.
Other applicants will have an opportunity to apply for licenses in an upcoming phase of the implementation process, with priority going to "social equity applicants" – generally, applicants from communities "disproportionately impacted" by the war on drugs, or individuals with previous arrests or convictions for minor marijuana violations.
In addition to the three companies whose approvals were announced Dec. 23, the department said in a news release that the other 18 cultivation centers include:
• Ataraxia - Albion • Compass Ventures, Inc. - Litchfield • Cresco Labs, LLC - Joliet • Cresco Labs, LLC - Kankakee • Cresco Labs, LLC - Lincoln • Curative Health Cultivation, LLC - Aurora • GTI Oglesby, LLC - Oglesby • GTI Rock Island, LLC - Rock Island • IESO, LLC - Carbondale • InGown Farms - Freeport • Nature's Grace and Wellness, LLC - Vermont • PharmaCann, LLC - Dwight • PharmaCann, LLC - Hillcrest • Progressive Treatment Solutions - East St. Louis • Revolution Cannabis, LLC (DBA Ascend Illinois) - Barry • Revolution Cannabis, LLC – Delavan • Shelby County Community Service - Shelbyville • Wellness Group Pharms, LLC – Anna