Budtender

IL monthly puff: new bill rewrites dispensary rules, Ivy Hall co-founder sentenced. July 2026 brought the biggest structural shift to Illinois cannabis retail since legalization, as Illinois cannabis SB 3222 rewrote the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act with drive-throughs, extended hours, and a new medical tax exemption. A high-profile federal money laundering sentence pulled Ivy Hall's co-founder out of the industry, a Cook County judge blocked a Loop dispensary under the state's 1,500-foot dispensary separation rule, and a Teamsters strike at an Ascend cultivation facility in Barry landed as federal rescheduling hearings opened in Arlington. Plus, see below, Cann has a great compliant location available in region BLS 5 for groups with licenses still to place. Top headlines this month. * Ivy Hall co-founder gets one year for money laundering * Cook County judge blocks Loop dispensary over 1,500-foot separation rule * SB 3222 authorizes drive-throughs and medical tax exemption * Grayville tops $1.2M in cannabis tax revenue since 2023 * DEA rescheduling hearing opens as Ascend strike hits Barry Illinois: Ivy Hall co-founder sentenced to one year in federal prison for money laundering. David Berger, co-founder of Ivy Hall, was sentenced to one year in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso after a jury convicted him of money laundering and illegally structuring cash transactions. Prosecutors said Espinosa's operatives delivered grocery bags of cocaine cash to Berger's home in Ukrainian Village, and Berger deposited the money into ATMs before paying for private jet charters with his American Express card. Over about six months starting in late 2020, Berger booked 18 jets for cocaine trafficker Oswaldo Espinosa, earning $54,000 in commissions at $3,000 per flight. The judge ordered Berger to pay $253,000 in structured deposits and a $10,000 fine, rejecting a request for probation. Berger, who held an 18% ownership stake in Ivy Hall, reports to prison October 5. Ivy Hall operates 10 cannabis dispensaries in Chicago and other Illinois cities, which is the state maximum, and opened its first social-equity location in Bucktown in 2022 with Governor JB Pritzker at the ribbon-cutting. Berger resigned from Ivy Hall in March to allow an employee stock ownership program to move forward, and his state cannabis operator license has been terminated. His attorney noted in a court filing that even after the sentence is complete, Berger faces what potentially amounts to a permanent ban from the cannabis industry. Chicago: Cook County judge blocks Loop dispensary under 1,500-foot dispensary separation rule. The Bloc Dispensary, planned for 400 S. Wells St. in Chicago's Loop, was blocked by a Cook County Circuit Court ruling from Judge Patrick Stanton, reported by Crain's Chicago Business on July 9, 2026. Illinois law generally prohibits a cannabis dispensary from opening within 1,500 feet of another dispensary, and the Bloc site sits roughly 470 feet from an existing dispensary. The ruling appears to be the first time a court has interpreted how that 1,500-foot separation rule applies when both dispensaries hold social-equity licenses, with the court finding that the exception allowing closer spacing does not apply when both operators are social-equity licensees. The decision underscores that even high-traffic commercial corridors like the Loop can fall outside permissible dispensary zones under Illinois' siting rules, and it sets a precedent that could affect other closely spaced social-equity projects in the city. Illinois: SB 3222 authorizes dispensary drive-throughs, extends hours, and creates medical tax exemption. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 3222 into law on June 12, 2026, making the most significant amendment to Illinois' Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act since its 2019 enactment. The 644-page bill brings several direct changes for licensed dispensaries: drive-through service is now authorized, with pickup locations expanded to include sidewalks and parking lots contiguous to dispensary property; operating hours are extended from the prior 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. cap to 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., subject to local zoning requirements; and security requirements shift from mandatory contracts with licensed security firms to maintaining on-site guards, which may reduce compliance costs for some locations. The bill also creates a new Medical Cannabis Dispensing Organization License, available to existing adult-use dispensary license holders 90 days after signing, that exempts purchases by qualified patients, caregivers, Opioid Alternative Pilot Program participants, and provisional patients from the Cannabis Purchaser Excise Tax. Patients may now obtain medical cannabis from any dispensary holding that license statewide, removing the prior single-designated-dispensary requirement. On the supply side, craft grower canopy increases from 5,000 to 14,000 square feet, a new processor organization license creates a standalone path for extraction and manufacturing businesses, and civil penalties for unlicensed cannabis sales reach $10,000 per violation per day, with each day constituting a separate offense. The medical tax exemption is the most direct financial change for dispensaries that pursue the new license. Adult-use excise tax rates remain at 10% for products with 35% THC or less, 25% for higher-THC products, and 20% for infused products, so qualified patients purchasing through a medical dispensing organization may realize significant tax savings, particularly on higher-taxed products. The medical license must remain co-located with the corresponding adult-use license and cannot be transferred independently. Grayville, il: single dispensary generates more than $1.2M in local cannabis tax revenue since 2023. The City of Grayville has collected more than $1.2 million in local cannabis sales tax revenue since the Terrabis recreational marijuana dispensary opened in June 2023. Grayville applies a 3% local tax on cannabis sales, and city records reported by WFIW Radio show the annual breakdown running approximately $126,700 in 2023, more than $549,000 in 2024, nearly $448,000 in 2025, and nearly $194,200 collected so far this year. Mayor Travis Thompson said the funds have supported the city's revolving loan fund, covered demolition of dilapidated properties, and helped pay the salary of a fourth police officer. All of that revenue has come from adult-use sales alone, as the Grayville Terrabis location does not currently sell medical marijuana. The figures illustrate the local fiscal impact a single recreational dispensary can produce for a small municipality over a roughly three-year operating window. Federal/illinois: DEA rescheduling hearing opens as Teamsters strike hits Ascend facility in Barry. A Drug Enforcement Administration administrative law judge opened formal cannabis rescheduling proceedings in Arlington, Virginia, on June 29, 2026, with hearings scheduled to run through July 15 with a brief Independence Day recess. The proceeding was initiated under President Trump's December 2025 executive order and will determine whether all cannabis moves from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, extending the scope of the April 2026 interim order that covered only FDA-approved products and state-licensed medical cannabis. The government's witnesses include a New Hampshire physician testifying to cannabis's medical benefits for pain patients and an FDA official explaining the eight-factor scheduling analysis. Notably, only opponents of rescheduling were invited to participate, with no reform advocates included, and a parallel constitutional challenge to the April order is proceeding in the D.C. Circuit. On the Illinois front, more than 300 members of Teamsters Local 916 walked off the job at an Ascend Wellness Holdings cultivation facility in Barry, Illinois, on June 25, in what the union described as the first Teamsters strike at a cannabis grow house. The strike followed Ascend's alleged refusal to bargain a contract covering wage increases, healthcare benefits, and overtime, alongside the alleged unlawful dismissal of a bargaining committee member. Ascend confirmed the work stoppage, said the facility remained operational, and described its offer as a strong economic package. If the final DEA rule extends Schedule III to all cannabis, most operators would gain relief from the Section 280E tax bar. The Ascend strike in Barry threatened cannabis supply lines across Illinois while the hearing in Arlington continued through mid-July. Compliant dispensary real estate available in West Chicago. Partially built-out dispensary now available for lease for groups of licenses yet to activate in region BLS-5. * Stand-alone building on a busy road located in a large shopping complex * 147k people living within 10 min drive with average household income of $124k The bottom line. Illinois cannabis SB 3222 gave licensed dispensaries new tools with drive-through service, 2 a.m. closing, and a medical tax exemption, while a Cook County ruling against the Bloc Dispensary showed the 1,500-foot separation rule still constrains siting even in the Loop. A federal sentencing removed an Ivy Hall co-founder from the industry, a small-town Grayville dispensary crossed $1.2 million in local tax revenue, and federal rescheduling hearings advanced alongside a Teamsters strike at an Ascend facility in Barry. 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Glazed & infused: Chicago's favorite Dispensary is turning National Donut Day into a full-blown experience. Ivy Hall teams up with West Town Bakery and The Good One to serve cannabis-infused brown butter donuts for one day only! CHICAGO, June 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Ivy Hall Dispensary, Illinois' largest independent cannabis retailer and Chicago's go-to destination for inventive, only-in-this-city cannabis experiences, is partnering with beloved neighborhood bakery West Town Bakery and cult-favorite donut brand The Good One to mark National Donut Day with a one-of-a-kind, one-day on-site activation. The collaboration is the latest in Ivy Hall's growing legacy of culinary partnerships that blur the line between cannabis retail and Chicago's vibrant food scene, following celebrated activations with Steingold's Deli (Chicago's first cannabis-infused mustard) and Paulie Gee's (World's largest infused pizza). The company also hosted the first cannabis wedding earlier this year. West Town Bakery, a beloved Chicago institution known for its scratch-made pastries and community-first ethos, supplies the dough. The Good One, the boundary-pushing donut concept whose signature brown butter glaze became an overnight obsession, applies that iconic glaze fresh on-site. Together, they're making a limited-edition cannabis-infused donut available exclusively at Ivy Hall Logan Square (3115 W Armitage Ave) on June 5th for adults 21+ beginning at 12, while supplies last. "Teaming up with West Town Bakery and The Good One felt like a natural fit - two incredible local brands that bring passion and craft to everything they do. This is about more than a donut. It's about showing up for Chicago," said Jonny Boucher, Director of Marketing at Ivy Hall. "At Ivy Hall, we've always believed that cannabis is best experienced at the intersection of great food, great people, and great culture. We're not here to just move product off shelves, we're here to build something the city hasn't seen before, and keep raising the bar every time." That commitment to surprise and delight is central to Ivy Hall's identity. Since opening, the brand has made a habit of giving its community reasons to show up beyond the transaction, whether through unexpected culinary mashups, immersive in-store experiences, or partnerships that put Chicago's independent small businesses in the spotlight. National Donut Day is just the latest proof of concept. The activation includes: * Limited-edition brown butter-glazed, cannabis-infused donuts (21+, while supplies last) * On-site "Ivy Consumption Lounge" * Dark Matter Coffee "The Good One got its start last National Donut Day as a summer pop-up. We're on hiatus while we search for a permanent home, so I was thrilled when Ivy Hall set out to make this Donut Day special," said Brandon Mensing, Owner and Head Baker, The Good One. "As a fledgling queer-owned business getting this kind of support from fellow local businesses means everything. The community support in Andersonville and throughout Chicago has been incredible and it keeps me motivated to make sure this dream becomes a reality!" About Ivy Hall Ivy Hall Dispensary is Illinois' largest independent cannabis retailer, celebrating the full cannabis experience through high-quality products, inventive culinary collaborations, and thoughtfully crafted cannabis-infused offerings. Rooted in community and driven by hospitality, Ivy Hall offers a curated selection of high-quality products, expert education, and personalized service in welcoming, thoughtfully designed spaces where feeling good matters more than simply feeling it. Moving beyond purely transactional retail, Ivy Hall is ushering in a new wave of dispensaries that prioritize connection, comfort, and discovery - an approachable alternative to the sterile and intimidating storefronts of the past. Dedicated to excellence, equity, and inclusion, Ivy Hall proudly serves communities across Illinois with ten retail locations in Bucktown, Logan Square, Peoria, Streamwood, Crystal Lake, Glendale Heights, Montgomery, Waukegan, Bolingbrook, and Edwardsville. To learn more, visit ivyhalldispensary.com. About West Town Bakery West Town Bakery is a beloved Chicago institution serving handcrafted pastries, artisan breads, custom cakes, and its famous cakeballs since 2011. With locations throughout the Chicagoland area, West Town Bakery blends Chicago's urban spirit with a passion for quality ingredients and time-honored baking techniques - from flaky croissants and decadent donuts to celebration-worthy custom cakes. To learn more, visit westtownbakery.com. About The Good One The Good One is a queer-owned, community-focused artisan donut shop coming to Andersonville, Chicago. Founded by Brandon Mensing, The Good One is built on a simple but radical idea: every donut is hand-shaped from real brioche dough and fried to order, the way a donut should be. Alongside three signature flavors - including the house-favorite brown butter glaze - The Good One offers rotating weekly specials and an ethos that goes beyond the fryer. Customers are greeted with an invitation: "Finish this phrase for a free sample: I'm a good ____." Currently seeking a permanent location on Clark Street and investment to open its doors for good. To learn more, visit eatthegoodone.com. Media Contact Ivy Hall [email protected]