The Facts

Green Thumb strongly supports expanding patient access to safe, high-quality cannabis, including the expansion of medical licenses. During this year’s legislative session in Illinois, we actively worked in support of nearly every provision of the cannabis omnibus bill and sought to improve the language expanding sales of medical cannabis.

While the language in Illinois HB 2911 was intended to expand access for patients beginning in 2025, it was neither operationally viable nor comprehensive enough for what Illinois patients deserve. It did not include necessary protections for patients and lacked clear direction for government agencies and the industry—a formula that consistently leads to substantial regulatory delays, lawsuits and challenges that negatively impact patients, customers, social equity operators and the industry as a whole. Our team pointed out these concerns and legislators agreed to work on the language to include necessary patient protections. We continued to support the cannabis omnibus bill and committed to working with legislators on medical cannabis sales language that could be passed in the legislature’s session later this year.

Our Commitment

Green Thumb will continue to work with industry stakeholders, lawmakers and patient advocates over the summer to push for a bill that is better for patients and the state’s medical program. We are committed to advocating for effective, patient-focused priorities, including (but not limited to):

• Allow all Illinois dispensaries the option to sell medical cannabis with clear direction and timelines

• Make current patient protections permanent: dedicated lanes, extended operating hours and increased purchase limits

• Allow curbside pickup, drive-through and telehealth consultations

• Allow delivery services for patients 

• Expand qualifying conditions for medical

What’s Next

Legislators now have a real chance to get this right during the fall veto session. Working together, we are confident the General Assembly can propose legislation to give Illinois patients what they deserve, and Green Thumb will advocate aggressively for its passage during the fall veto session. Given the expansion of medical cannabis sales would not have been implemented until 2025 even if it had been viable, there is time to get the language right.

The Bottom Line

Medical patients are at the heart of Green Thumb’s mission, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting them on their journey to well-being through cannabis.