Sales have fallen significantly since Illinois dispensaries unloaded a record $137 million worth of recreational cannabis products last December, raising.
The city of Evanston plans to put the money generated from the sale of recreational marijuana into a reparations fund that will be used for investment into the African American community and to make amends for racial inequalities.
Initially there were reports the city council would vote on the measure at its Monday night meeting. The city council said that information was incorrect, and that the vote was scheduled for a meeting on March 22.
The first initiative of the $10 million plan is the Restorative Housing Reparations program that would distribute up to $25,000 for housing per eligible resident with funding expected to come from a 3% tax on recreational marijuana sales.
Illinois has collected $62 million from legalized marijuana sales that's earmarked for helping minority businesses and neighborhood development, but the money hasn't been spent yet.
Illinois newest dispensary had its ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday morning. EarthMed officially opened near Touhy Avenue and Mannheim Road.
EarthMed opened its original location in Addison back in 2015 as one of the first medical dispensaries in the state.
Illinois dispensaries sold more than $580 million worth of recreational pot in 2020, according to the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. This is all new money that the state never had, said State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago). And this is new money that taxpayers will be able to use for the benefit of the state.