How to Get Involved in the Illinois Legal Cannabis Industry (2022)

When Illinois legalized adult-use cannabis in July of 2019, few could have foreseen how tumultuous of a year 2020 would be. Even still, legal weed has blossomed in Illinois. In 2021, a full year after legalization, Illinois residents and visitors spent $1.4 billion on legal weed at dispensaries across the state.

“Are we going to get to a billion dollars? I think we are going to blow past the billion dollars based on the experience in smaller states.” -Todd Maisch, president and CEO Illinois Chamber of Commerce. 

The cannabis industry is only going one way, and that way is up. With that being said, the time to get involved in the cannabis industry is early, and early is now! This article details the steps one can take to get involved in legal cannabis right now.

Want to turn this cannabis dream of yours into a reality? Let's dive right in.

Train to be a Budtender at a Legal Dispensary or Work at Another Cannabis Business

There are a multitude of career options for those who want to get involved in the legal cannabis industry. From cultivators, to testing laboratories, to dispensaries, to various ancillary opportunities, there is a cannabis career out there for you. 

Prepare for the release of new licenses in 2022 for dispensaries, craft grows, infusers, and transport. The jobs can be lucrative. Salaries in the cannabis industry are on average 10.7% higher than other industries in Illinois.

We recommend that you start out with a strong and clear understanding of the state guidelines for dispensary agents/budtenders in Illinois. This will ensure you won’t have a problem following any of the rules for legal cannabis and will show potential employers you’re a serious applicant.

State training, or Responsible Vendor Training, is required by the state of Illinois to all those who currently work or wish to work in an Illinois Dispensary. This training is similar to those of bartenders but altered to the Illinois cannabis regulatory structure.

The Illinois Cannabis Training Center is an approved responsible vendor by the IDFPR.  With that being said, ICTC offers a state-approved Dispensary Agent Training which includes the Responsible Vendor Program and the Accelerated Dispensary Bootcamp. This 8-hour training provides you with the training necessary to become a budtender or dispensary agent in Illinois, while also equipping you with skills to become a strong team player in any cannabis business.

Once you truly know what you’ll be getting yourself into, it’s time to go out and get that interview. Follow these tips when updating your resume: 

• Your passion for and experience in cannabis
• Any background experience that would be useful in that work environment
• Why you think you would be a good fir for the role you're applying for 
• What about the organization you are applying for most captured your interest 
• Always monitor job posting boards so you can be an early applicant with a better chance of being reviewed
• Never submit the same resume twice. Update your resume and cover letter with each application to be specific to the role and organization to which you are applying.

Don’t forget about the importance of a cover letter, and be yourself in the interview! You can never go wrong when you are authentic. This is a competitive industry so only those who are persistent and remain consistent with finding and applying for opportunities will land jobs.

Want more tips to get hired in the cannabis industry? Download this FREE pdf guide with 6 Tips to Get Hired in Cannabis

Start a Cannabis Business and Become an Entrepreneur

Get your own piece of the pie by starting your own cannabis business. Opening up a cannabis business requires many different considerations, compliances, regulations, and a fairly large amount of capital. 

However, with the proper planning and knowledge, starting a cannabis business of your own is definitely attainable. As mentioned earlier, there are a multitude of different cannabis career options to get involved in. Illinois issues licenses for two broad categories of cannabis businesses: dispensaries and cultivators (Grow operations).

Dispensary: A dispensary is a retail store where cannabis consumers and medical patients can purchase marijuana and various infused products. Dispensaries are required to follow state-mandated protocols for record keeping-advertising, inventory tracking, security, testing, etc. 

Cannabis cultivation center: These businesses focus on the actual growing of cannabis indoors or outdoors. The cannabis is then processed and used to create other cannabis related products or stay in flower form and are then sold to a dispensary. Similarly to dispensaries, cultivators are highly regulated in Illinois. 

Ancillary business: Ancillary businesses are non-touching cannabis job opportunities. There are plenty of jobs in the cannabis industry that don’t involve touching the plant directly. For example, you can develop a cannabis advertising agency, consulting firm, yoga studio, app, education service, and so many more. 

There are additional fees and a few barriers to entry in Illinois for cannabis business owners. Local governments are able to forbid cannabis companies from certain locations or offering certain products or services. This makes it especially important to stay knowledgeable on city and county regulations on cannabis businesses. Other fees and barriers include: 

• Application fees
• License fees
• Financial Requirements 
• Background check 

When starting a cannabis business of your own, it is additionally important to develop a strong cannabis business plan. Although not officially required when getting a license, it will definitely give your business a better chance of being successful. Also, your application already requires you to determine an operations and management practices plan, patient management practice plan, site plan, and floor plan, which is easily transferable to a business plan. 

An Illinois cannabis business plan should include: 

• Product/service description 
• Market research 
• Competitors 
• Management team 
• Financials
• Illinois-specific requirements 
• Investor proposal 

As previously mentioned, it is crucial to research and be aware of city regulations before starting a cannabis business endeavor. To do this, Google your city or municipality name and “cannabis regulations'' or “marijuana laws). If you are unable to find this information for your city, check recent local news coverage or reach out to your city clerk, city manager, or town hall. 

Become an Advocate for the Successful Legalization of Cannabis and Participate in Cannabis Organizations

How do you define the successful legalization of cannabis in Illinois? Personally, I define successful legalization as all Illinois communities being able to safely and fully access the benefits of cannabis, with particular attention being paid toward ensuring those individuals and communities disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of cannabis and the war on drugs receive priority when accessing these benefits. I define success in the cannabis industry this way because of my own understanding of the history of cannabis and enforcement of cannabis policy in Illinois pre-legalization and still to this day.

But success looks different to everyone! First, learn about and build your own working definition of what a successful cannabis industry looks like in your community by participating in training, events, and reading books. Then, get involved in local cannabis organizing efforts with groups who advocate for the things you care about.

Groups like the Cannabis Equity Coalition of IL are doing great work to advocate for fair, just, and safe legalization. Support their mission for national expungement here or email them directly to find out how you can get involved.

Another way to meet other people in the cannabis industry is to attend a networking event. Each month, ICTC host a monthly event for those wanting to build careers and businesses in the Illinois cannabis industry.

Reach Out to your Municipal Government and Ask About their Plans for the Expansion of Legal Cannabis in your Community

Across the state, local governments and communities are taking a different approach to legalization. Some have embraced adult-use cannabis legalization, understanding it as an incredible opportunity to access medicinal, economic, social, and political benefits for their residents and community. Some have shy-ed away, instead choosing to keep access to medical cannabis rather restricted and adult-use cannabis only available to residents willing to commute to another municipality.

It’s important to reach out to your local government officials to see what they’re planning. Even if they have elected not to bring in a recreational adult-use dispensary, they should still have a plan for cannabis education within the community. You and your neighbors have the right to understand the benefits and potential consequences of legal adult-use cannabis so that you can fully understand how to access the benefits while mitigating against the risk of potential consequences.

By contacting your elected officials, you are allowing your voice to be heard. There are best practices one can take when reaching out to your elected officials. Here are a few tips you should follow and things to avoid when contacting your local government officials.

Best practices:

• Before picking up the phone, know exactly what you want to say. Then call and make your voice heard!
• Respectfully introduce yourself by stating your name, address, and telephone number for comment submissions
• Make it known that you are a concerned voter and voice who you would like to leave this message for (senator/representative)
• Schedule a meeting with your elected official to talk about your most pressing issues
• Always remember to come prepared, timely, professional, and respectful. 

Things to avoid:

• Don't make the issue political, focus on cannabis policy in general
• Try not to get off topic by clearly stating your position and the action you wish to be taken
• Never be rude as this will prevent your point from being made

Need help finding out who exactly to contact and how? You can find your representative and find your senator here.