After months of review, Illinois has reached a decision on whether a company that had made headlines during the governor's race will be able to sell medical marijuana under Illinois' new, and somewhat secretive, law.
Just who would be able to grow and sell marijuana under Illinois' new medical cannabis law was supposed to have been announced by Gov. Pat Quinn. Instead, he raised eyebrows by leaving office in January with the question lingering.
As a candidate, now Gov. Rauner had blasted the law, so it came as a surprise when a month later, he announced dozens of authorizations for medical marijuana farms and stores.
With a couple of exceptions. Several applicants, his office said, needed additional scrutiny, like HealthCentral LLC's bid for dispensary licenses. HealthCentral had been in the news because Gov. Quinn's former chief of staff, Jack Lavin, was one of its lobbyists. It's unknown whether that's the reason for the additional review:
VINICKY: "Why were they receiving this additional scrutiny?
HORSTMAN: "That I cannot disclose. It's part of the confidentiality of the application process."
That's Terry Horstman, spokesman for the state's department of professional regulation, who says HealthCentral has now received the okay to proceed.
Horstman also says he can't disclose why another dispensary applicant was just disqualified.
If it makes it past background checks and the next part of the licensing process, HealthCentral will win the right to sell medical marijuana to a seven county-section of central Illinois that includes Sangamon and Menard counties, and in another for an area in the southwest part of the state - that covers Madison and four surrounding counties.
