Marijuana
Cannabis is a growing industry in Chicago and Illinois. Here’s our comprehensive coverage, from the legalization of recreational marijuana to cooking with cannabis.
Read on to find out about how 4/20 came about, some frequently asked questions about Delta-8 weed alternative and a weed syndrome that causes vomiting, and some events that fall on the high holiday.
An ordinance introduced in the City Council would ban the sale of alternative cannabinoids, the compound found in cannabis and hemp, outside of licensed weed dispensaries and impose tighter zoning restrictions on unregulated sellers.
At one point Wednesday, the smoke detectors at Rise were set off by someone vaping, prompting a brief evacuation and a visit from the fire department.
Jamay Nellum-Fane first turned to the cannabinoid to deal with job-related stress and treat postpartum depression. Now she’s retired and encouraging other cops to try it.
The annual celebration of all things weed, a longstanding countercultural tradition, has now become the biggest day for legal sales.
State law prohibits the shop from opening at 605 N. Clark St. because three other dispensaries are already nearby.
Millions of passengers have flown out of Chicago since weed was fully legalized, but only a few dozen have pitched their pot in the colorful receptacles.
Cresco Labs announced plans Wednesday to take over Manhattan-based Columbia Care, marking the latest high-profile consolidation affecting Illinois’ booming cannabis business.
The recent dropoff raises concerns that limited supply and sky-high prices could be pushing consumers into the illicit market, one expert said.
After regaling a crowd about the prospect of becoming “marijuana millionaires,” state Sen. Patricia Van Pelt started Wakanna For Life, a multilevel marketing company that has since been the subject of multiple consumer complaints. The vast majority of those who paid to set up “dispensaries” through her company have made an average of just $200.
The measure, introduced Friday by state Rep. Mark Batinick, would cap the amount of THC in cannabis flower at 10% and set a 15% limit for concentrates and infused products.
Once a counterculture staple, it’s closing Jan. 31 after 52 years selling ‘smoking accessories.’ Owner Shelly Miller hoped legal weed might save the business. It didn’t.
Grants will go toward groups seeking to provide legal aid, economic development, re-entry from the criminal justice system, violence prevention and youth development.
What’s in the legal weed being sold at Illinois dispensaries? That’s what our reporters wanted to find out. That led to a deeper look at the state’s marijuana regulation.
They say the marijuana they grew was fine when it was tested soon after harvest.
Most often, the failures were for having excessive levels of mold or yeast, a Sun-Times analysis of state records shows.
Under Illinois law, consumers have the right to obtain a certificate of analysis, or “COA,” for any cannabis product for sale at a dispensary. Here’s what you need to know.
Smoking moldy weed usually won’t cause serious health problems for most people. Though reports are rare, one type of mold has caused hospitalizations and deaths.
Eight of the nine pre-rolls in Sun-Times testing tested above state limits for two or more microbiological contaminants. Four failed four different microbiological tests.
The state’s collections since early 2020 now outpace that raised from booze sales. The money has been used on everything from buying an opioid reversal drug to funding a Girl Scouts program to fight human trafficking.
While the city hasn’t set rules for public pot consumption, the event’s organizer insisted it was a private, invitation-only affair and thus “100% legal.” The rapper Afroman was listed as the headline attraction.
“A lot of people running the industry don’t really seem to care about even just the culture and the benefits of cannabis, let alone their employees’ wellbeing,” said a budtender at Curaleaf’s Weed Street dispensary in Goose Island.
The stores in Uptown and West Town are being sold to Miami-based Ayr Wellness, which grows and sells cannabis across multiple states.
Sunnyside took over the space at 3524 N. Clark St. formerly home to John Barleycorn.
October saw more than $123 million in recreational cannabis sales to reach $1.12 billion sales in the first 10 months of the year.
Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) and Roderick Sawyer (6th) want companies seeking to open new cannabis dispensaries in Chicago within 1,500 feet of existing dispensaries to provide “certified evidence” every year that they are indeed “social equity” applicants.
Six days after two of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s most outspoken City Council critics used a parliamentary maneuver to delay the vote, alderman approved her plan to help minorities who have been shut out of the so-called “green rush.”
While state officials have named the winners of 185 upcoming pot shop permits, a court order that’s blocked their issuance has continued to place those who were supposed to benefit from legalization in an indefinite limbo state.
The federal agencies reported this week that 119 people were hospitalized after ingesting products infused with Delta-8 THC over the past year.