Expert Cannabis Consultant, Michael Mayes Discusses Medical Marijuana Customers in Illinois
Since Illinois legalized medical marijuana in 2013, the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program experienced many ups and downs. Although the cannabis industry in Illinois sits at about $20MM in sales, it’s been a very long process.
Over the years, medical marijuana in Illinois was very challenging to obtain. Ultimately, this created many challenges and reluctance to accommodate patients in need of medical marijuana. Due to strenuous restrictions on who can actually buy medical marijuana, the state needed to modify its program.
Similarly, in this article from January 2016, the Daily Herald features Michael Mayes, the CEO of the cannabis consulting firm, Quantum 9. Here, the expert cannabis consultant addresses how dispensaries desperately needed more medical marijuana customers in Illinois. In order to sustain the market, the state needed to add to its list of qualifying debilitating conditions. Mayes then stated how the influence of adding chronic pain to the list would triple the state’s medical marijuana patient population.
Illinois Medical Marijuana Experiences Sales Surge
Only this past August 2019, did Illinois add chronic pain and migraines to the list of medically qualifying conditions. And with adult-use marijuana in Illinois starting in January 2020, the cannabis industry forecasts only growth from here.
Please refer to the graph below for Illinois’s total sales of medical marijuana from the Marijuana Business Daily: Chart of the Week.
Currently, Illinois is experiencing its “most significant and sustained period of growth yet, nearly three years after sales began in the state”. With that said, it’s important to consider what the industry will actually look like for adult-users.
According to the Marijuana Business Daily, adult-use customers can “expect to pay between 20%-35%” in recreational cannabis tax while medical marijuana patients in Illinois will continue paying only 1% in sales tax. Additionally, for new cannabusinesses and entrepreneurs, applications will be highly competitive within the cannabis industry.
Therefore, Mayes and the team at Quantum 9 work diligently to increase access to the plant worldwide. With January 2020 quickly approaching, the journey to marijuana in Illinois continues. Quantum 9 maintains its pursuit in cannabis consulting and prioritizes permit acquisition and licensing. With a 92% application approval rate, Quantum 9 specializes in the development of business plans, facility design and more.
For Quantum 9 cannabis consulting services, please click here.
