Rauner Issues Medical Marijuana Facility Licenses

Rauner Issues Medical Marijuana Facility

Licenses

By Alex Haglund

Despite coming out against medical marijuana while campaigning, newly elected Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner issued licenses for medical marijuana production and cultivation facility and dispensaries on Monday.

Nature’s Cure, the company which applied with the state of Illinois to build a state-of-the art cultivation and production facility in Nashville was not named as the state’s licensee in State Police District 13.

Pinckneyville spent $200,000 rehabbing the TUMS factory for SI Farmacy to build a production facility there. They too were passed over for the license.

After delays past Quinn’s initial deadline for the licenses to be issued, Rauner elected to give the license IESO, LLC.

Earlier, Rauner released documents that showed Quinn was likely to award the District 13 license to a company named IESO LLC.

A manager for ISEO is Tom Jennings, Illinois’ former director of the Department of Agriculture. Jennings was appointed by Blagojevich and worked under Quinn through 2011.

Jennings wasn’t the only person with Springfield connections good news on Monday afternoon.

In Grown Farms, LLC, which received a license for cultivation in Stephenson County lists Keith McGinnis of Ottawa as a managing member. McGinnis held a fundraiser for Quinn in August at his home.

3C Compassionate Care, LLC, was awarded a dispensary license in District 24 and 29. They are owned in part by retired Will County Judge Robert Livas.

Green Thumb Industries, which won licenses to cultivate in northern Illinois has on its payroll former Chicago Police Superintendent Terry Hillard and former State Police Director Terry Gainer.