
In the latest lawsuit over Illinois’ cannabis retail licensing process, a judge has barred the state from issuing any new dispensary licenses—including those for medical retailers—until the case is settled.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Wah Group LLC has filed a lawsuit alleging that the state mistakenly excluded the company from Illinois’ first licensing lottery, which took place July 29.
Wah claims state officials told the company it would qualify for the next lottery, which occurred Aug. 5, but Wah alleges in its lawsuit that the scoring process was flawed.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 16, the Chicago Tribune reported, and Cook County Judge Moshe Jacobius has ordered the state not to award any new cannabis retail licenses until he issues a ruling.
Illinois plans to hold a third and final licensing lottery Aug. 19, but the court order means that the 185 dispensary licenses issued during the lotteries are on hold until the case is settled. State officials have noted that the lottery results may change based on further court orders or administrative review, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Three additional cannabis license applicants filed a separate lawsuit last month after being excluded from Illinois’ licensing lotteries. In that case, Justice Grown, Emerald Coast LLC and ReNu LLC filed a complaint claiming that their applications should have received perfect scores, thus qualifying them for the Aug. 19 lottery, but they were wrongfully denied points due to regulators’ scoring errors.