(410 ILCS 705/15-30)

Sec. 15-30. Selection criteria for conditional licenses awarded under Section 15-25.

(a) Applicants for a Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization License must submit all required information, including the information required in Section 15-25, to the Department. Failure by an applicant to submit all required information may result in the application being disqualified.

(b) If the Department receives an application that fails to provide the required elements contained in this Section, the Department shall issue a deficiency notice to the applicant. The applicant shall have 10 calendar days from the date of the deficiency notice to resubmit the incomplete information. Applications that are still incomplete after this opportunity to cure will not be scored and will be disqualified.

(c) The Department will award up to 250 points to complete applications based on the sufficiency of the applicant's responses to required information. Applicants will be awarded points based on a determination that the application satisfactorily includes the following elements:

(1) Suitability of Employee Training Plan (15 points). The plan includes an employee training plan that demonstrates that employees will understand the rules and laws to be followed by dispensary employees, have knowledge of any security measures and operating procedures of the dispensary, and are able to advise purchasers on how to safely consume cannabis and use individual products offered by the dispensary.

(2) Security and Recordkeeping (65 points).

(A) The security plan accounts for the prevention of the theft or diversion of cannabis. The security plan demonstrates safety procedures for dispensing organization agents and purchasers, and safe delivery and storage of cannabis and currency. It demonstrates compliance with all security requirements in this Act and rules.

(B) A plan for recordkeeping, tracking, and monitoring inventory, quality control, and other policies and procedures that will promote standard recordkeeping and discourage unlawful activity. This plan includes the applicant's strategy to communicate with the Department and the Illinois State Police on the destruction and disposal of cannabis. The plan must also demonstrate compliance with this Act and rules.

(C) The security plan shall also detail which private security contractor licensed under Section 10-5 of the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004 the dispensary will contract with in order to provide adequate security at its facility.

(3) Applicant's Business Plan, Financials, Operating and Floor Plan (65 points).

(A) The business plan shall describe, at a minimum, how the dispensing organization will be managed on a long-term basis. This shall include a description of the dispensing organization's point-of-sale system, purchases and denials of sale, confidentiality, and products and services to be offered. It will demonstrate compliance with this Act and rules.

(B) The operating plan shall include, at a minimum, best practices for day-to-day dispensary operation and staffing. The operating plan may also include information about employment practices, including information about the percentage of full-time employees who will be provided a living wage.

(C) The proposed floor plan is suitable for public access, the layout promotes safe dispensing of cannabis, is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Environmental Barriers Act, and facilitates safe product handling and storage.

(4) Knowledge and Experience (30 points).

(A) The applicant's principal officers must demonstrate experience and qualifications in business management or experience with the cannabis industry. This includes ensuring optimal safety and accuracy in the dispensing and sale of cannabis.

(B) The applicant's principal officers must demonstrate knowledge of various cannabis product strains or varieties and describe the types and quantities of products planned to be sold. This includes confirmation of whether the dispensing organization plans to sell cannabis paraphernalia or edibles.

(C) Knowledge and experience may be demonstrated through experience in other comparable industries that reflect on the applicant's ability to operate a cannabis business establishment.

(5) Status as a Social Equity Applicant (50 points). The applicant meets the qualifications for a Social Equity Applicant as set forth in this Act.

(6) Labor and employment practices (5 points). The applicant may describe plans to provide a safe, healthy, and economically beneficial working environment for its agents, including, but not limited to, codes of conduct, health care benefits, educational benefits, retirement benefits, living wage standards, and entering a labor peace agreement with employees.

(7) Environmental Plan (5 points). The applicant may demonstrate an environmental plan of action to minimize the carbon footprint, environmental impact, and resource needs for the dispensary, which may include, without limitation, recycling cannabis product packaging.

(8) Illinois owner (5 points). The applicant is 51% or more owned and controlled by an Illinois resident, who can prove residency in each of the past 5 years with tax records or 2 of the following:

(A) a signed lease agreement that includes the applicant's name;

(B) a property deed that includes the applicant's name;

(C) school records;

(D) a voter registration card;

(E) an Illinois driver's license, an Illinois Identification Card, or an Illinois Person with a Disability Identification Card;

(F) a paycheck stub;

(G) a utility bill; or

(H) any other proof of residency or other information necessary to establish residence as provided by rule.

(9) Status as veteran (5 points). The applicant is 51% or more controlled and owned by an individual or individuals who meet the qualifications of a veteran as defined by Section 45-57 of the Illinois Procurement Code.

(10) A diversity plan (5 points). The plan includes a narrative of not more than 2,500 words that establishes a goal of diversity in ownership, management, employment, and contracting to ensure that diverse participants and groups are afforded equality of opportunity.

(d) The Department may also award up to 2 bonus points for a plan to engage with the community. The applicant may demonstrate a desire to engage with its community by participating in one or more of, but not limited to, the following actions: (i) establishment of an incubator program designed to increase participation in the cannabis industry by persons who would qualify as Social Equity Applicants; (ii) providing financial assistance to substance abuse treatment centers; (iii) educating children and teens about the potential harms of cannabis use; or (iv) other measures demonstrating a commitment to the applicant's community. Bonus points will only be awarded if the Department receives applications that receive an equal score for a particular region.

(e) The Department may verify information contained in each application and accompanying documentation to assess the applicant's veracity and fitness to operate a dispensing organization.

(f) The Department may, in its discretion, refuse to issue an authorization to any applicant:

(1) Who is unqualified to perform the duties required of the applicant;

(2) Who fails to disclose or states falsely any information called for in the application;

(3) Who has been found guilty of a violation of this Act, who has had any disciplinary order entered against it by the Department, who has entered into a disciplinary or nondisciplinary agreement with the Department, or whose medical cannabis dispensing organization, medical cannabis cultivation organization, or Early Approval Adult Use Dispensing Organization License, or Early Approval Adult Use Dispensing Organization License at a secondary site, or Early Approval Cultivation Center License was suspended, restricted, revoked, or denied for just cause, or the applicant's cannabis business establishment license was suspended, restricted, revoked, or denied in any other state; or

(4) Who has engaged in a pattern or practice of unfair or illegal practices, methods, or activities in the conduct of owning a cannabis business establishment or other business.

(g) The Department shall deny the license if any principal officer, board member, or person having a financial or voting interest of 5% or greater in the licensee is delinquent in filing any required tax returns or paying any amounts owed to the State of Illinois.

(h) The Department shall verify an applicant's compliance with the requirements of this Article and rules before issuing a dispensing organization license.

(i) Should the applicant be awarded a license, the information and plans provided in the application, including any plans submitted for bonus points, shall become a condition of the Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses and any Adult Use Dispensing Organization License issued to the holder of the Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization License, except as otherwise provided by this Act or rule. Dispensing organizations have a duty to disclose any material changes to the application. The Department shall review all material changes disclosed by the dispensing organization, and may re-evaluate its prior decision regarding the awarding of a license, including, but not limited to, suspending or permanently revoking a license. Failure to comply with the conditions or requirements in the application may subject the dispensing organization to discipline, up to and including suspension or permanent revocation of its authorization or license by the Department.

(j) If an applicant has not begun operating as a dispensing organization within one year of the issuance of the Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization License, the Department may permanently revoke the Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization License and award it to the next highest scoring applicant in the BLS Region if a suitable applicant indicates a continued interest in the license or begin a new selection process to award a Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization License.

(k) The Department shall deny an application if granting that application would result in a single person or entity having a direct or indirect financial interest in more than 10 Early Approval Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses, Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses, or Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses. Any entity that is awarded a license that results in a single person or entity having a direct or indirect financial interest in more than 10 licenses shall forfeit the most recently issued license and suffer a penalty to be determined by the Department, unless the entity declines the license at the time it is awarded.

(Source: P.A. 101-27, eff. 6-25-19; 101-593, eff. 12-4-19; 102-98, eff. 7-15-21; 102-538, eff. 8-20-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22.)