Illinois -- not exactly a state known for efficient, above-board government -- signed their legalization bill on June 25, 2019 and opened the first dispensaries on January 1, 2020. 2023 (not to mention 2024) is laughable.
They need time to figure out how to game the market and make backroom deals with rich investor friends on making the industry as vertically integrated and cartelish as possible.
I get six months or so, because while you can copy the general concept of what other states have done, you still have to arrange whatever regulatory capacity is needed and maybe write some custom administrative rules. Hell, maybe a year. But 2-3 years is indefensible.
To be fair, Illinois already had a pretty well developed medical cannabis market. And "liberal" Massachusetts took almost 3 years to open rec dispensaries after they legalized cannabis through a ballot initiative in 2016. Virginia currently has jack shit, and honestly, I would have guessed that VA would be the last state in the nation to legalize weed with all the super cops, super troops, and spooks that live there.
Illinois -- not exactly a state known for efficient, above-board government -- signed their legalization bill on June 25, 2019 and opened the first dispensaries on January 1, 2020. 2023 (not to mention 2024) is laughable.
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They need time to figure out how to game the market and make backroom deals with rich investor friends on making the industry as vertically integrated and cartelish as possible.
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The need time to bust the major gro-ops so their friends can corner the market first.
I get six months or so, because while you can copy the general concept of what other states have done, you still have to arrange whatever regulatory capacity is needed and maybe write some custom administrative rules. Hell, maybe a year. But 2-3 years is indefensible.
yeah, maybe like a month to hire people and have lawyers draft the thing and .... oh.
oh it shouldn't take longer than a month?
huh.
To be fair, Illinois already had a pretty well developed medical cannabis market. And "liberal" Massachusetts took almost 3 years to open rec dispensaries after they legalized cannabis through a ballot initiative in 2016. Virginia currently has jack shit, and honestly, I would have guessed that VA would be the last state in the nation to legalize weed with all the super cops, super troops, and spooks that live there.