Moylan Fights to Ensure Ethical Cannabis Licensing and Uphold Promise of Equity

DES PLAINES, Ill. – Committed to ensuring a higher level of ethical standards, equity and transparency in the rapidly growing cannabis sector, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, has introduced legislation requiring the public disclosure of all current and prospective cannabis license holders.

“The cannabis industry is a billion dollar industry that is still relatively new and it is still steadily growing, so we have to make sure that the licensing process is fair and the communities that should benefit do,” Moylan said. “There are plenty of cracks in the system, and the result has greatly benefitted a small number of wealthy individuals instead of a large and diverse number of local business owners.”

Since the legalization of cannabis for recreational use in 2019, Moylan has expressed concern over the fairness of how licenses were distributed, noting that the licenses are largely held by the wealthy and politically connected. The Moylan-introduced House Bill 402 would require the departments responsible for the licensing of cannabis dispensaries, cultivation centers and all other cannabis businesses to publish the name of all applicants and current license holders and the address for which the license was applied. The legislation aims to ensure the distribution of cannabis licenses helps the communities hit hardest by marijuana prohibition and prevent any political maneuvering in the process.

“The promise to minority communities and minority business owners that the revenue generated from the legalization of cannabis would be proportionally distributed to communities who have been impacted by drug enforcement has not been upheld,” Moylan said. “While this will help identify exactly where and how the issue with this process needs to be fixed, plenty of work needs to be done. We need to ensure this process is fair and diversified so that the cannabis industry is not controlled by a small number of the wealthy and politically connected individuals.”

For questions concerning House Bill 402, state issues, other legislation or district matters, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.