The big story this week has been the legal fallout and ongoing turmoil in Illinois, where several lawsuits target Illinois’ licensing process to award 185 new cannabis dispensary licenses. It’s part of a longer saga in that state’s adult-use market. It’s also a good example of the countervailing forces present in much of cannabis licensing ca. 2021: lottery systems v. social equity policies v. free-market demand v. geographic interests, and so on. A perfect storm.

Read Senior Digital Editor Melissa Schiller’s latest, linked below, to get a sense of how these ongoing disputes might alter the landscape for license holders (and license aspirants) in Illinois.

Here are some of the key cannabis headlines from this past week:

From Assistant Editor Andriana Ruscitto: “Shortly after Apple loosened its restrictions, Weedmaps, an app and website that lets users find local dispensaries and cannabis-related businesses, updated its app to allow consumers to purchase cannabis.” Read more “In the latest of several lawsuits that take aim at Illinois’ licensing process to award 185 new cannabis dispensary licenses, two applicants, Suite Greens LLC and So Baked Too LLC, claim state officials wrongfully forced them to give up three of their spots in the state’s third and final licensing lottery, which is scheduled for Aug. 19.” Read more “Texas expanded its limited medical cannabis program during its 2021 legislative session, and Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation (TOCC), one of the state’s three vertically integrated cannabis licensees, is planning an expansion of its own to meet increased patient demand.” Read more “Michigan's total cannabis sales had yet another record-breaking month, topping $171 million in July, according to a monthly data report released from the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency.” Read more “A federal court has overturned Maine’s requirement that all medical cannabis dispensaries must be owned by Maine residents.” Read more “After years of regulatory limbo that allowed registered patients in Georgia to possess—but not purchase—low-THC cannabis oil, the state has established a regulated market and has licensed six businesses to produce and sell the oil. However, some industry stakeholders question the state’s licensing process and the businesses that ultimately won the right to operate in Georgia’s market.” Read more “The North Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee reviewed a medical cannabis legalization bill for the second time Aug. 18 to discuss technical changes to the legislation, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.” Read more “The Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Advisory Board voted Aug. 17 to reject requests to add five new qualifying conditions to the state’s medical cannabis program.” Read more  ]]>