Illinois passed legislation to approve of recreational cannabis use and sale back in 2019, the bill was later signed into law in the beginning of the year. But now they have decided that they are going to delay giving out those licenses to people who might want to be involved in the business.

This would be the 11th state that has sought to make way for a recreational cannabis market for adult use. Repeatedly, as other states have moved forward with similar recreational markets, we have seen how the coercion in this market has helped big players to come in and squeeze out smaller growers, those who have spent decades learning the business.

Since making moves to bring about "legal" cannabis markets, there are dozens of cannabis sellers and growers who have been forced to close up shop for good.

Some of them had been supplying clients for years prior to the legalization becoming official. They were risking a lot to bring those goods to the people who needed them.

Violence Before Freedom

For anyone who might be interested in doing business in the cannabis market, be it growing or selling, baking etc, you will need to wait for official permission in Illinois, as many are waiting in other places. Who knows how long it might take, in many circumstances it takes years for the "legal" market to fully develop. If you want to go about doing business without being deemed a criminal, you are at the mercy of the authorities who need to give you the green light to go ahead and do business.

Because of this market coercion, at the end of the day it is the individual who suffers, from the patient to the grower, and all in-between. Anyone who wants to make an exchange in that market is left with limited options, possibly higher prices and lower quality options of products as a result, among other problems. The best path for all is freedom, more of it and not less of it.

If lawmakers sought after decriminalization of some harmful drug war rules, and less about how they are going to perfectly carve out their control in the marijuana market, then we might get somewhere.

Pics: pixabay