Cannabis
Information
Accidental Cannabis Ingestion This poster on accidental cannabis ingestion walks through quick steps to take in the case of potential cannabis poisoning. It was developed by Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Voices of Child Health in Chicago.
Cannabis Derivatives Fact Sheet This downloadable infographic explains how certain cannabis-derived products can appear on store shelves outside regulated cannabis dispensaries.
Cannabis: THC, Delta-8, and other Cannabinoids Created by the CPRC, this resource helps communities identify different cannabinoids that they may find for sale. It explains the regulatory context of cannabis derivatives and suggests possible solutions for communities looking to address their sale. For printed copies, please contact the CPRC.
Cannabis: THC, Delta-8 y otros Cannabinoides Este recurso, creado por el CPRC, ayuda a las comunidades a identificar los distintos cannabinoides que se pueden encontrar a la venta. El recurso explica el contexto normativo de los derivados del cannabis y sugiere posibles soluciones para las comunidades que deseen regular su venta. Para obtener copias impresas, comunicarse con el CPRC.
DEA Preventing Marijuana Use Among Youth & Young Adults The DEA is especially concerned about marijuana use and its negative consequences among youth and young adults. This publication provides an overview of the prevalence of marijuana use among this population; the physical, academic, and social consequences; tips for how to get involved to prevent marijuana use among youth and young adults; and federal resources to assist in your efforts.
Cannabis/Marijuana Awareness & Prevention Toolkit is a theory-based and evidence-informed resource created by educators, parents, and researchers to prevent middle and high school students' use of cannabis/marijuana.
Let's Talk Cannabis IL What should you know about weed? Consider this resource from the Illinois Department of Human Services as a guide for all your cannabis questions. We pulled together proven facts and tips to help you understand the rules and health effects so you can make safe and informed decisions. Look around to read about some of the most talked-about topics regarding the laws, responsible use, and family safety.
Unfaded is about making moves in life. This youth campaign is about how we lead the way forward, aren’t afraid to stand out, and always have a plan to reach our goals. We stay substance-free because drugs, alcohol, and weed are all just setbacks to our success.
Marijuana Prevention Strategies Resource Guide. Communities already implement many evidence-based prevention strategies to prevent youth marijuana use, such as Youth Prevention Education (school-based comprehensive curricula), goal-focused communication/media campaigns, coalitions, and strategic planning. This guide will provide information and tips related to the following additional prevention strategies communities can use to address the legalization of marijuana: Public education, Local policy, Environmental scans, Data monitoring, and Community collaboration.
Center for Disease Control: Marijuana and Public Health-Health Effects of Marijuana Marijuana use may have many health effects on the body and brain. This webpage provides information about how marijuana use can affect your health.
CADCA, Implementation Primer: Putting Your Plan into Action This primer assists your coalition in implementing comprehensive strategies designed to achieve population-level reductions in substance use rates. It describes the importance of community mobilization and the necessity of seeking meaningful environmental change—two strategies that research indicates can influence substance use rates in an entire community.
Center for Disease Control, Data and Statistics. Various information sources are available to monitor the prevalence and trends of marijuana use in the United States. The resources below cover various marijuana-related issues, including data around usage, emergency department data, substance use and misuse data, policy measures, and other related tools.
2018 IYS Youth and Marijuana Use in Illinois Studies show that marijuana interferes with attention, motivation, memory, and learning. Compared to those who don’t use, students who use marijuana regularly may be functioning at a reduced intellectual level most or all of the time. Regular marijuana use can lower an adolescent's IQ by 8 points. As a result, users tend to get lower grades and are more likely to drop out of high school.
2018 IYS Drug Use Compared to Academic Success Data from the 2018 Illinois Youth Survey (IYS) state sample shows that students with higher academic grades are less likely to engage in past 30-day substance use, such as alcohol, e-cigarettes, marijuana, or prescription drugs not prescribed to them. Be aware that these associations do not prove causation. School administrators, stakeholders, and decision-makers may use these findings to increase understanding of the associations between substance use and grades and to create policies and programs to foster healthy behaviors in youth.
Youth Marijuana Use in Illinois (Center for Prevention Research and Development) This report includes the facts you need to know about youth marijuana use in Illinois. The report provides information on marijuana use patterns, including where youth get their marijuana, young persons’ perceptions about marijuana use and use among their peers, and parent messaging about marijuana. Use this paper to learn the facts about youth marijuana use and then talk to the young people in your life about their decisions.
The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado, Sept. 2021 (Rocky Mountain HIDTA Report) The Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA) program has published annual reports since 2013 tracking the impact of legalizing recreational marijuana in Colorado. The purpose is to provide data and information so that policymakers and citizens can make informed decisions on the issue of marijuana legalization.
Policy
Development
The Differences Between Alcohol and Cannabis Policy This resource explores the consumption patterns & contributing factors associated with alcohol and cannabis-related harms and why it is important to approach regulation differently.
Illinois Municipal League, IML Guidance and Model Drug & Alcohol Policy Employers have expressed concerns regarding the ability to maintain drug-free workplace policies and testing programs following the enactment of Public Act (P.A.) 101-0027, which created the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA) legalizing adult-use cannabis and amended the Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act (RPWA). In response to some of those concerns, the Illinois General Assembly passed, and Governor JB Pritzker signed, SB 1557, now P.A. 101-0593, effective December 4, 2019, which amends CRTA.
Northwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network: POLICY ANALYSIS WORKSHEET This worksheet aims to help entities identify where current and proposed regulations and policies are strong and where more specific prevention-informed approaches may be needed.
Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network: Cannabis Prevention Tool Kit The information in this tool is intended to support capacity development specifically within the prevention workforce by increasing understanding of cannabis regulatory frameworks and policies that can affect youth cannabis use and harm prevention.
SAMHSA, Developing Policy. Creating a written drug-free policy that reflects the needs of your workplace and applicable laws is a key part of a successful drug-free workplace program.
Drafting Clear Ordinances: Do’s and Don’ts Tips on developing ordinance content from Carolyn Braun, AICP.
Public Health Institute, Getting It Right from the Start. Model Ordinance. Getting it Right from the Start, a program of policy advocacy, research, and technical assistance, promotes marijuana law and regulation which better protects public health and equity.
APRC Six Essential Elements to Social Host Ordinances
Policy
Examples
Illinois Municipal League, Adult-Use Cannabis Resources A comprehensive guide for municipalities, including a fact sheet, model ordinances, model drug and alcohol policies, and a tax and fee revenue distribution flow chart.
Lake County Recreational Cannabis Task Force Packet The following executive summary provides information about the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (“the Act”), delineates the Act’s scope of local authority contained therein, and further describes the Task Force’s process and outcomes. It is intended that the documents included with this memo will serve as a useful resource as local governments consider their available regulatory options.
American Public Health Association, Examples of Cannabis Policies in Four States This table describes how states with the most experience regulate legal, non-medical cannabis. It identifies some common approaches states are taking to protect public health and prevent cannabis use among children and adolescents while at the same time creating a market for cannabis that discourages illegal activity.
Illinois
Law
HB 1438 The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act and the HB 1438 Summary - The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act
Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, Legal Bulletin. This bulletin aims to provide an overview of the cannabis enforcement framework following the passage of recreational cannabis legalization. These changes will be effective and enforceable on January 1, 2020.
Cannabis Health Advisory Committee Annual Report Compiled by the UIC Jane Adams College of Social Work, this report evaluates the public health impacts of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act annually, comparing trends in Illinois to neighboring states.
Let’s Talk Cannabis. Wondering what’s allowed in Illinois? Unlike the age you can legally use, some rules vary based on where you are, who’s around you, the form of cannabis, and owner permission. Learn the facts and nuances that can help you make responsible choices and stay out of legal trouble.
Submitting a Marijuana Marketing Violation Created by the Illinois Prevention Network, this tip sheet describes the process for reporting marketing that violates the requirements of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act in Illinois. It includes identifying violations and the complaint form and process overseen by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation.
Municipal Cannabis
Ordinances
Examining local regulations
Since the passage of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA) in Illinois, municipalities throughout the state have responded with a variety of policy actions. This page will explore specific policies municipalities may reference when crafting local policy. Before reviewing the ordinances and discussion, we advise readers to review the below disclaimer. The primary areas municipalities are granted authority to regulate within include opt-out, zoning (including conditional or special use permits), on-premise consumption, and taxation.
Legal Disclaimer and Terms of Use
The information contained within is a compilation of selected municipal and county ordinances and commentary addressing cannabis/marijuana policies and regulations in Illinois. Given the industry is in its infancy and constantly evolving, few, if any, of these ordinances have been subjected to legal scrutiny/analysis. The information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. As such, this document is provided “as is,” and Prevention First, its employees, and contractors do not guarantee that the content is accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free. Furthermore, inclusion in this document should not be construed as endorsing any specific ordinance by Prevention First, its employees, and/or their contractors.
The information contained on this Site is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute professional or legal advice. This includes all digital content, including but not exhaustive of email, blogs, podcasts, events, webinars, all social media (including but not limited to Facebook®, Instagram®, Twitter®, and TikTok®), and other content regardless of if they are provided for purchase, as resources, education materials, or for information purposes only.
Readers, users, and browsers of this website/document should contact their private attorney and/or the city/county attorney with respect to any specific interpretation of the ordinances contained herein or to obtain advice with respect to any legal matter specific to them, their agency, or their community. No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or refrain from acting based on information contained on this site without first obtaining legal advice from a licensed attorney in the jurisdiction they are located. Only an attorney engaged on your behalf or on behalf of your agency can determine if the information contained herein and your interpretation of it is applicable or appropriate for you or your community.
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Opt-Out Provisions
The CRTA allows municipalities to opt out of allowing any licensed cannabis businesses within their boundaries. However, this only refers to the businesses themselves and does not allow municipalities to prohibit the use or possession of cannabis in ways differing from the CRTA.
While initially, many communities opted out, several of those same communities have since amended their ordinances and allowed businesses to open.
Opt-out provisions may be either total opt-out (all cannabis businesses), limited opt-out (only allowing certain license types such as dispensaries only), or opt-out of on-premise consumption only.
Examples:
West Chicago (total)
Park Ridge (limited)
Zoning
Municipalities may establish zoning requirements that specify the places within their boundaries a cannabis business can be located. Communities may consider zoning requirements on cannabis businesses to reduce accessibility by youth to cannabis possibly.
Examples:
Danville – setback requirements of 1,000 feet from schools, daycare centers, and residential care homes and 2,640 from residential areas.
Hoffman Estates – Utilizes overlay districts to specify areas of the community businesses can locate
Special/Conditional Use
Special or condition use permitting processes technically fall into zoning practices, but impose additional requirements not directly related to the placement of a business. In communities throughout Illinois, they have been used in various ways.
Example:
Pekin – Limits the total number of dispensary licenses within the municipality to three.
On-Premise Consumption
The CRTA allows communities to decide whether to allow on-premise consumption of cannabis at licensed businesses and also directs them to regulate them if choosing to allow it. On-premise consumption can be located at either a licensed cannabis business or tobacco shop and, if allowed, is not considered public places within the meaning of the Smoke-Free Illinois Act (410 ILCS 705/55-25 Sec. 55-25).
Communities considering allowing on-premise consumption should consider the impact on the capacity of local and state law enforcement to detect and deter driving under the influence of cannabis.
Examples:
Pekin – prohibits on-site consumption.
Oglesby – allows on-site consumption only at dispensaries and with conditions.
Taxation
The CRTA allows municipalities to establish up to an additional 3% local tax on top of the state rates and any applicable county rates. Most municipalities that have established a tax have done so at the 3% rate.