The Chicago Tribune has reported Friday, August 2, 2019, that medical cannabis companies gave over $600,000 to politicians and lobbying efforts since January 1, 2017. Much of this money is described as being given directly to candidates campaigns, along with another sizable chunk given to the Medical Cannabis Alliance of Illinois.
The Medical Cannabis Alliance of Illinois is the lobbying group representing a majority of the formal/medical markets licensed cultivators and dispensaries. They lobbied for much of the restrictive language in the 2019 adult use bill, including the provision to ban home-grow by responsible adults.
When contemplating how and why your cannabis flower and concentrates are costing so much, take a moment to consider that the Tribune reported that…
- The firms gave over $400,000 to 60 members of the Illinois legislature, 45 of which voted ‘Yes’ on the adult use bill.
- 39 of those 45 representatives were Chicago area democrats.
- $120,000 of that $400,000 went to one State Senator Dan Harmon of Oak Park
- Another $100,000 on top of the $400,000 went to a political action committee supporting their interests.
- The Medical Cannabis Alliance of Illinois donated another $110,000 to lawmakers in the run-up to the vote.
- The Chicago Tribune says that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot received $123,000 in campaign contributions from cannabis organizations.
- Kelly Casidy, co-sponsor of HB1438 received $13,000 in contributions from cannabis firms and non-profits.
- In negotiating the bill, a provision disallowing any large scale cultivation centers to open until 2021 was written in weeks before the deadline.
- Illinois is the first state to enact an adult use legalization bill. The rest have been by voter initiative.
Just a few things to consider when making a shopping list.
