While Illinois residents may have rung in the New Year with champagne, New Year’s Day was all about weed.

Wednesday marked the first day recreational marijuana was legal in the state and residents responded in droves, spending $3.2 million, state officials report. By comparison, Michigan, where weed became legal December 1st, brought in just under that amount — after two weeks of sales. And Colorado — the state that started it all — earned $1 million in first day sales when pot became legal in 2014.

Among the Illinois residents who braved the cold to stand in lines for much of the day was Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, who purchased edible marijuana gummies. “I’m here to celebrate a big day in Illinois,” she told reporters.

I took the photo above at a medical dispensary NuMed in East Peoria on New Years Day.They opened their doors at 6am to massive lines that had begun the night before.  By a little past 8am, this location was sold out of product. (I was unable to go inside and talk to employees about first day sales because they were busy!)

From Forbes.com:

• Illinois’ Department of Financial and Professional Regulation reported that the cash was generated from over 77,000 transactions.
• Cannabis can be purchased without a prescription from a state-approved dispensary by anyone 21 years or older⁠—and nonresidents are allowed to buy the drug, but in smaller quantities than residents, according to the legislation.
• The Chicago Tribune reported that state Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton was seen purchasing cannabis gummies from a dispensary, receiving applause from customers as she completed her sale.
• Illinois is the eleventh state (plus D.C.) to legalize cannabis in the U.S., and Bloomberg reported that the state expects to eventually fetch between $2 billion and $4 billion in annual sales.
• Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker has also pardoned over 11,000 people with prior marijuana convictions as part of the new law, and over 700,000 people who have been arrested because of the drug could have those records forgiven as well.

Key background: Illinois is the country’s sixth most populated state, according to Bloomberg, and bordered by states where marijuana is still illegal. Illinois’ legalization effort could push those states to follow suit with their own laws. According to analysts, illicit sales of marijuana in Illinois are expected to outpace legal sales through 2024. However, 30% of legal sales will go toward tax revenue for the state, while municipalities get 3%, according to Crain’s.

The Bloomington-Normal area is rumored to see a recreational sales location from medical dispensary THE GREEN SOLUTION in February. Licenses for future locations in Mclean county are expected to be distributed in May as part of a phased-in process.  Local officials are still debating the future of on site cannabis consumption at cafes or designated outdoor areas, but currently have voted no.  Some say the current laws requiring residents to only partake privately hidden inside homes that they own is discriminatory to renters and low income housing challenged residents.

Tuesday, January 7th, Bloomington Police Chief Dan Donath will be on our show live to talk about consumption rules for homeowners and the department’s preparation for this new era.

Susan Saunders 1/3/20