State lawmakers approved Illinois' pilot medical cannabis program in 2013, and dispensaries started opening two years later. Despite generating more than $42 million in retail sales so far, the nascent industry in Illinois is going through more than the normal growing pains of new companies. It's marijuana, after all, and entrepreneurs are learning just how hard it is to shake off the stigma attached to a substance the federal government puts in the same class as heroin and LSD.
Illinois companies also are grappling with slower-than-expected growth of patient numbers, so while they wait for demand to increase here, they are eyeing other states for expansion.
And beyond all those nuts and bolts is the overarching fear the new administration will nullify the industry's progress. President Donald Trump showed support for medical marijuana on the campaign trail but Jeff Sessions, Trump's attorney general nominee, has criticized the drug's legalization, saying he won't commit to disregarding federal law.
The challenges begin where they do for any startup: With capital.
