Illinois Dispensaries Sell $3.2M Worth of Cannabis on First Day

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation counted 77,128 transactions at cannabis dispensaries throughout the state, generating nearly $3.2 million on the first day of legal cannabis sales, NBC Chicago reports.

Toi Hutchinson, a senior advisor to the governor for cannabis control, called cannabis legalization in the state “a monumental milestone.”

“Launching the legalization of cannabis in a way that includes communities left behind for far too long, creates good jobs and expunges thousands of records for those who have lost out on opportunities and ends prohibition.” – Hutchinson, in a statement, via NBC

Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) announced this week that he had pardoned 11,017 individuals with low-level cannabis offenses in conjunction with the rollout of legalized cannabis sales. The governor’s office described the criminal reform action as the “first wave” of cannabis-related expungements and Pritzker said the state’s industry “puts equity at its very core.”

“The amazing thing about that is that there’s a significant portion of these dollars that go directly into this community reinvestment fund, so we can continue to rebuild communities that have been hardest hit by the war on drugs,” Hutchinson said in a CNN report. “So sales are great but let’s never lose sight on the impact that we’re having on families around this state.”

The Illinois legislature made history last year by becoming the first state to legalize cannabis through the legislative process rather than via a voter initiative. The state is the 11th to legalize cannabis for adult use.