Cannabis in Illinois

Illinois legalized adult-use cannabis through the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA), and licensed dispensaries began selling to adults 21 and older at the start of 2020. The state's first adult-use dispensing licenses were issued in late 2019, mostly to existing medical dispensaries; Chicago stores such as Dispensary 33, Sunnyside Wrigleyville and Maribis hold some of those early license numbers.

Dispensaries are licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). Its combined license list, updated in September 2026, shows 289 active adult-use dispensing organization licenses and marks which locations also serve registered medical patients. Every licensed store has a credential number ending in -AUDO, and medical dispensaries also carry a -DISP number. Checking that list is the quickest way to tell a licensed dispensary from a hemp or smoke shop selling intoxicating products outside the cannabis program.

Possession limits depend on residency. Illinois residents may possess 60 grams of cannabis flower, 10 grams of concentrate and 1,000 mg of THC in infused products; non-residents may possess half those amounts (limits doubled by SB 3222 on June 12, 2026). Only registered medical patients may grow cannabis at home. Use is banned in any public place, in vehicles and near people under 21, and cannabis in a moving vehicle must be in a sealed, odor-proof, child-resistant container. Local governments may authorize on-site consumption lounges, but IDFPR does not license them.

Taxes add up quickly. The purchaser excise tax is 10% for flower at or below 35% THC, 25% for cannabis above 35% THC (concentrates and vapes are taxed by their THC level) and 20% for infused products such as edibles, on top of state and local sales taxes; cultivators also pay a 7% privilege tax. Expect the total at the register to be well above the menu price. This page is general information, not legal advice.