Proposed Illinois Rule Change Would Allow Outdoor Cannabis Cultivation
- Illinois officials have proposed allowing outdoor cannabis cultivation, reversing previous policies that required cannabis to be grown only in enclosed, locked facilities.
- Outdoor cannabis flower would be permitted solely for extraction purposes, with flower products for consumption continuing to be grown indoors.
- The new rule permits licensed cultivators to grow cannabis outdoors with security measures such as chain-link fencing, following legal challenges to the prior restrictions.
- The change is expected to benefit small growers by reducing costs and enabling expansion without expensive indoor infrastructure, according to industry advocates.
Illinois officials have proposed changing the state’s cannabis cultivation rules in a major policy reversal to allow for outdoor grows, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Under the proposed rule change, outdoor cannabis flower would only be allowed to be used for extraction purposes — cannabis flower products would remain indoor-only.
Previously, the Illinois Department of Agriculture said the state’s requirement that cannabis needs to be grown in an “enclosed, locked” facility prohibited outdoor cultivation. But the agency is changing its tune following multiple legal challenges from licensed cultivators.
The new rule would allow licensed operators to grow outside of their existing facilities, although outdoor crops would need to be sectioned off with a chain-link fence and additional security measures.
Scott Redman, founder of the Illinois Independent Craft Growers Association, told the Tribune that the change would be a “game changer” for small growers.
“For those operating, it allows a faster and more economical route to expanding to the full (state limit of) 14,000-square-foot canopy. For the projects still in design, it can mean that one need not spend millions on lighting and HVAC (heating, ventilation and cooling) if it is outside the budget … This is a significant step forward for the industry as far as I am concerned.” — Redman, via the Tribune
In Illinois, only registered medical cannabis patients can grow their own cannabis at home.