Illinois officials announced on Thursday that they are awarding $35 million in grants to 88 local organizations, using funds generated from taxes on adult-use marijuana sales, to support community reinvestment efforts.

The funding is being offered through the state’s Restore, Reinvest, Renew (R3) Program that was established under Illinois’s 2019 legalization law. It requires 25 percent of cannabis tax revenue to support areas most harmed by the “disproportionate damaged caused by the war on drugs,” the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) said.

“Illinois created the most equity-centric cannabis program in the nation and the R3 program is a fundamental component of our state’s legalization framework,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), who signed marijuana legalization into law, said in a press release. “By funding smaller community organizations in areas harmed by years of disinvestment and excessive incarceration, we are taking enormous strides toward justice and expanding opportunities for all.”

Since launching the R3 program, Illinois has awarded over $244 million in marijuana revenue-funded grants to that end.

“For too long, communities have suffered from systemic injustice and a criminal legal system that unfairly targets marginalized groups,” Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) said. “Illinois’ equity-focused cannabis reform is a key step in addressing these issues. The R3 program not only provides funding but also empowers local organizations to create safer, stronger communities, giving every Illinoisan the chance to truly thrive.”

Among the grant recipients are the Kankakee County State’s Attorney’s Office, Northern Illinois Recovery Community Organization, Boys & Girls Club of Lake County, Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice, The Salvation Army and Volunteers of America of Illinois.

ICJIA also touted its Institute to Innovate (i2i), which is mean to support smaller organizations in managing their grant funding.

“Capacity building is the key to equity,” ICJIA Executive Director Delrice Adams said. “i2i is a game-changer for grassroots organizations with little to no grant management experience. For many of these organizations, the limited capacity for grant management and a lack of organizational infrastructure become barriers to providing innovative services that address the needs of their communities.”

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Meanwhile, during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week, visitors were greeted with billboards funded by the governor’s campaign committee reminding people that Democrats under the leadership of Pritzker successfully legalized marijuana in the state—a policy promotion that signals the party’s understanding of cannabis reform as a key way to appeal to voters heading into the November election.

At the same time that Illinois officials have worked to distinguish their market from other legal states in terms of social equity achievements, it also hasn’t been shy about promoting the overall economic success of the industry, which saw just under $2 billion worth of marijuana in calendar year 2023.

Pritzker has frequently joked about the fact that Illinois is benefiting from the lack of legal access in surrounding states. Going back to his State of the State address in 2020, he said out-of-state dollars will end up coming to Illinois and paying taxes for cannabis products that bolster the state’s coffers.

Meanwhile, also this month, the Pritzker administration announced that the state-legal cannabis industry passed the $1 billion sales mark for the year on July 1—about two weeks ahead of when that milestone was reached in the prior calendar year.

Also, Illinois officials in recent months have eyed making changes to how hemp-derived cannabinoids are regulated, but a proposal to do that failed to make it out of the General Assembly this session.

Separately, state senators earlier this year took up a bill that would have legalized psilocybin and allowed regulated access through service centers, where adults could use the drug in a supervised setting.

The state also gave preliminary approval in March to add female orgasmic disorder, or FOD, as a medical cannabis qualifying condition.

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Photo courtesy of Max Pixel.