CHICAGO (WLS) — January first will mark five years since recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois.

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Long lines were seen on January 1st, 2020 as hundreds waited to get into dispensaries in Chicago and across Illinois.

Tiffany Chappell Ingram is the executive director of the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois.

The state went from zero to more than 239 dispensaries in five years, according to Ingram. The industry also employes more than 30,000 people.

However, Ingram said the cannabis industry is “extremely challenging” to be a part of.

“You have to remember, federally, it’s not normalized. So, what that means is that you don’t have normalized banking. Which means it’s very challenging to get capital, which is the life blood of any business,” she said.

State compliance regulations and taxes in Illinois, compared to states such as Missouri and Michigan, also make the industry challenging.

Illinois has grant and loan programs to social equity license holders.

CBAI is “focused on what are the sort of policies, decisions that are happening at the federal, state and local level that impact businesses,” Ingram said.

“I don’t think that most people know but there are over twelve different agencies in the state that have to do with the regulation of cannabis,” she added. “We are really laser focused on the decision makers and the policy to make sure that we have a thriving industry in Illinois.”

The Cannabis Research Institute launched earlier this year. It’s a joint effort supported by the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago and is part of the University of Illinois System.

The institute’s mission is to advance public knowledge about cannabis and hemp.

“The governor wanted to have a cannabis program that was based in social equity and that addressed some of the long-standing prohibition and negative stigma that’s associated with the plant,” CRI Director Dr. Reggie Gaudino said. “The key priorities of the institute are to bring a number of different research programs, social equity, social impact, social justice, plant-facing research, people-facing research as well, because of the different compounds and the different uses of the plant, right.”

Gaudino added that the goal of CRI is to be able to bring forth a lot of research that covers the entire arc. Some call it “from seed to social impact.”

As for the social equity aspect of Illinois’ recreational marijuana industry, Gaudino

“In other states, if you look at a lot of the cannabis industry, it typically looks a lot like corporate America. So, unfortunately because of that, there are people of color who have not been able to really get involved and benefit from the boon that the plant could actually bring,” he said.

So how does the Cannabis Research Institute set Illinois apart from other states?

“The unique part of the program here is that the CRI sits at the system level. It doesn’t sit on any one of the campuses. So, what that allows us to do, is to draw from the expertise of all the faculty at all three campuses across the University of Illinois.”

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Tennessee made just six field goals in the first half. Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier combined for two points in the second half while fouling out. Igor Milicic missed all eight of his three-point attempts. Felix Okpara didn’t score in nine minutes of action.

The list of stats and circumstances that made a Tennessee victory at Illinois improbable were endless. But the top-ranked Vols prevailed 66-64 anyway, remaining unbeaten as non conference play wanes.

“I’m excited to see the tape because I’m shocked that we were able to get it done, with all that foul trouble,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said postgame. “But these guys found a way to do it.”

Illinois jumped on Tennessee from the offset, scoring the game’s first eight points on its way to leading for just under 24 minutes. The Vols never led by more than four points and appeared toast when Zakai Zeigler picked up his third and fourth foul within two seconds with over 18 minutes remaining in the game.

Tennessee’s task became even more daunting when foul trouble sidelined Chaz Lanier for seven minutes in the second half. The Vols were down their lone point guard and top scoring guard on the road against a top 25 quality team.

But that’s where Jordan Gainey stepped up, scoring 18 of his Tennessee-high 23 points in the second half while also not turning the ball over while running the point. Gainey got to the basket, finishing through contact and drilled three triples on a night the Vols struggled to get perimeter shots to fall.

“We said, ‘hey, man, we got to come through. You got to do it,’ and he worked really hard,” Barnes said of Gainey.

“This season, you’re going to see different guys in different games are going to have their breakout games,” Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack said. “I’m telling you, it seems like we have great games already this season but it’s going to get even better and there’s going to be games we surprise some people.”

More From RTI: What Jordan Gainey Said After His Buzzer Beater, Career Performance Against Illinois

Illinois thrice pushed its lead to six points in the second half. With the capacity crowd at the State Farm Center reaching a fevered pitch, it felt like the game was getting away from Tennessee. But each time, Tennessee scored on the ensuing possession.

Two of those responses came from Darlinstone Dubar who returned from concussion protocol earlier this week to play 16 big minutes for the Vols, making crucial plays on each end of the court.

“If I thought about three plays in a game, one would be Dstones little floater because we were hemorrhaging right there. I mean, he had that little floater,” Barnes said.

“He blocked a shot in the first half. He made a three in the second half and that floater,” Milicic said of Dubar. “I was on the court with him screaming. … Everyone who stepped on the court was valuable.

Even Milicic, who had his worst game of the season offensively, came through in other ways. He grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and battled at the five-spot defensively as Okpara struggled.

Zeigler missed the front end of the bonus with Tennessee up one late before Illinois got to the foul line with five seconds remaining. It once again felt like the game was slipping away. But Kasparas Jakucionis split the two free throws and Gainey played hero, getting down hill and finishing with a right-handed scoop shot on the left side to steal an improbable victory.

“We’re tough,” Milicic said. “Crowd was loud … we just had to stick together and pull this off. We’re some tough dudes and I think we showed it in this game from the beginning.”

The win almost certainly secures an undefeated non conference record for Tennessee with only a trio of buy games remaining. In a six week stretch that has been filled with a number of impressive surprises and performances, Tennessee winning at Illinois the way they did is one of the most encouraging.

There was no doubt that Tennessee was physically strong, but the Vols proved their mental toughness at Illinois.

EAST MOLINE, Ill. (AP) — Human remains discovered three months ago in a pickup truck in the Mississippi River have been identified as a man who was reported missing in 2019, Illinois authorities said.

“The East Moline Police Department continues to investigate this incident as a homicide,” Chief Jeff Ramsey said in a written statement.

The remains were identified as Daniel Claeys, a local man who was in his early 30s when his family said he was missing in 2019. The pickup truck was reported stolen in 2017.

The vehicle, buried in deep mud, was found in September in the Mississippi River near a boat ramp in East Moline. DNA helped investigators determine the identity of the remains.

“Family has been notified and they now have some closure knowing their family member has been located,” Ramsey said Thursday.

He said investigators will continue to try to solve Claeys’ disappearance and death.

Originally Published: December 14, 2024 at 11:41 AM PST