Illinois’ Marijuana Dispensary Licensing Scheme May Move Forward

A commerce clause challenge to how Illinois awarded licenses for marijuana dispensaries in the state was properly dismissed by a federal trial court, the Seventh Circuit said.

At issue was a provision in the administrative licensing scheme that gave a point preference to state residents who applied for the limited number of licenses. The district court properly refused to halt the process for the 2021 licenses because it would be inequitable to the people already awarded the 185 licenses for that year, and the challenge to the 2022 scheme became moot when the state dropped the residency requirement, Chief Judge ...