CHICAGO
Illinois has seen a 50% increase in total tax reported from adult-use cannabis, from $297.7 million in fiscal year 2021 to $445.3 million in fiscal year 2022, according to a news release from the governor鈥檚 office.
Total adult-use cannabis sales also rose 50%, increasing from $1 billion to $1.5 billion, respectively.
Cannabis tax disbursements to local governments saw a significant jump from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2022, increasing 77% from $82.8 million to $146.2 million.
South Beloit is home to the largest recreational cannabis dispensary in Illinois鈥擳he Sunnyside Marijuana Dispensary.
鈥淚llinois has done more to put justice and equity at the forefront of this industry than any other state in the nation and has worked to ensure that communities hurt by the war on drugs have had the opportunity to participate,鈥 said Governor JB Pritzker. 鈥淭he $1.5 billion in sales of adult-use cannabis in Illinois translates into significant tax revenue with a portion of every dollar spent being reinvested in communities that have suffered for decades.鈥
Under Illinois鈥 adult-use cannabis law, 25 percent of tax revenue generated from cannabis sales must support communities that are economically distressed, experience high rates of violence, and have been disproportionately impacted by drug criminalization.
To date, the State has awarded $113.5 million in grants, using funds generated from taxes on adult-use cannabis sales to support and invest underserved communities through Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority鈥檚 Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) Program. Created by Illinois鈥 historic cannabis legalization law, the R3 Program is designed to help communities with issues of gun violence, child poverty, unemployment, and imprisonment by providing funding from the taxes of adult-use cannabis sales.