A year after recreational pot sales kicked off in Illinois, legalization has been a boon for the few multimillion-dollar companies granted permission to grow and sell weed and a windfall for local and state governments strapped for cash.
But it’s also been a jackpot for a host of former cannabis regulators who are now cashing in on Illinois’ “green rush.”
On top of that, two sponsors of the law that legalized recreational cannabis are also benefiting from the pot industry — albeit through connections to firms operating in other states.
State Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) has now introduced legislation that would strengthen conflict of interest provisions in the legalization law that aim to prevent lawmakers, regulators and their families from profiting off the industry.
“For far too long in Illinois we have seen public officials abuse the public trust for their own benefit. It is time we enact much stronger ethics laws, especially concerning the growing cannabis industry where a lot of money is now flowing,” Moylan, a staunch critic of the legalization effort, said in a statement announcing the bill last month. [Read more at Chicago Sun-Times]
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