CHICAGO — Three weeks from now, Illinois will become the 11th state in the nation to allow the use of recreational marijuana. With time running out, there are still a lot of questions about how it will all work.
As early as 6 a.m. on New Years Day, pot and other products, like THC gummies, will be legal to purchase.
“Every time a state goes legal, you really have a flood of new customers, medical professionals because it’s legal weed,” Green Flower Media CEO Max Simon said.”
Anyone who’s 21 or older, with a valid drivers license, will be able to buy cannabis products at state licensed stores.
“The real question will be, what you want to purchase, there’s this whole plethora of legal cannabis products that people are not familiar with,” Simon said.
State law will place limits on purchases. A person can buy up to 30 grams of marijuana, five grams of concentrated THC oils and 500 milligrams of edibles.
In the city, there’s excitement but still questions on how it will all come together. Last week, Chicago police released a video for residents showing some general guidelines. Law prohibits use in public places and motor vehicles.
“You can not legally consume cannabis in motor vehicles,” police said. “That means CTA buses or trains and any public place.”
At first, recreational marijuana will be available at the existing medical dispensaries.
Gov. Pritzker said by May 1, the state will award 75 more licenses for new dispensaries. By December 2021, the state will 110 more.
“If you’re curious, follow that curiosity and start to explore it because you’re now one of the few places that has legal access to people 21 and over,” Simon said.
Officials did not forget about impaired driving. All the existing DUI laws still apply.
