In Illinois, Social Equity License Numbers Are High, but Their Sales Are Low

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A new report out of Illinois, backed by the state’s Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office, looks at “disparity” in the state’s adult use cannabis industry.

The report is nearly 300 pages long, and is packed with data, but one finding in particular stood out: 

Social equity shops made up 11.9% of the $1.6 billion in adult use sales last year, even though they make up 64.4% of retail licenses. 

The rest of the sales took place at shops owned by existing medical cannabis licensees in the state that were allowed to expand into adult use – a list that includes some of the country’s biggest cannabis companies, like Curaleaf and Cresco. 

Further, of the 199 shop licenses awarded to social equity applicants, only 67 had opened by last year. 

The report includes recommendations “to create a fair and level playing field for all market participants, regardless of race or gender,” and one recommendation at the top of the list is to “broaden availability of financing.”

You can read the full report here.