In a matter of a couple weeks, Illinois’ recreational cannabis consumers have all but depleted the state’s stock of cannabis products. The widespread disequilibrium between supply and demand has made it tough for dispensaries to serve customers. And some shops, Illinois regulators say, have started breaking the rules in order to put products on their shelves.
Since issuing a formal warning to Illinois dispensaries last week, regulators have begun investigating violations of rules against stockpiling cannabis and selling medical cannabis reserves to non-patients. The scope and extent of these violations is still unknown, but officials say persistent offenders could face fines and potentially, antitrust investigations.
Dispensaries Are Breaking the Rules to Source Products for Their Customers
Cannabis shops in Illinois are running out of weed. And that’s a problem, not just for eager recreational consumers, but for medical cannabis patients who depend on the products they need being available.
Illinois’ new cannabis law, which took effect January 1, mandates that dispensaries keep a 30-day supply of a full range of medical cannabis products on hand to sell to patients. To comply with this rule, several dispensaries had to close down as they replenished their stocks, or only sell to medical cannabis patients. But some stores, regulators said, have been dipping into their medical cannabis reserves to make products available for retail customers.
Regulators also said that some dispensaries are breaking another rule to deal with the supply shortage. They’re sourcing more than 40 percent of their products from a single cultivator.
The rule is an anti-stockpiling measure designed to prevent certain businesses from attempting to control the market by controlling supply. Illinois law does permit vertical