DeKalb City Council approved cannabis tasting rooms in a pair of unanimous decisions this week. “I think that this is so unique and just a brilliant business model," 1st Ward alderwoman Carolyn Zasada said.

Hemp has become the subject of heated debate in Illinois and elsewhere as the plant has been increasingly used to create synthetic products with intoxicating compounds not regulated by the federal government.

A victim of a robbery in Joliet reported several people struck him with handguns and stole his bag containing $300 and a vial of ashes from a “deceased loved one,” according to prosecutors.

A DeKalb cannabis dispensary has been given the green light this week to move forward with plans to open a tasting room. “We also want to use it as a means to bring the community together as well to use it as an education for cannabis," owner Maria Davis said.

DeKalb city leaders recently banned vape vending machines and the sale of unregulated THC and the stimulant kratom, citing safety concerns. But some business owners argued the prohibition would harm sales and was unfair because of the growing legal cannabis industry.

The team behind the recreational cannabis dispensary hopes for a soft opening as soon as mid-June.

You’ve heard of beer and wine tastings at local establishments and breweries. What if you could go to a cannabis edible tasting at your neighborhood dispensary? That’s a question one DeKalb dispensary owner will pose to the DeKalb City Council this week.

An arson attempt occurred Saturday at a Villa Park cannabis dispensary.

Joliet City Council members showed interest in a cannabis dispensary on Jefferson Street ahead of a vote on Tuesday.

Illinois Senate passes bill limiting vehicle searches based on burnt cannabis smell

City of Joliet continues to resist plans for cannabis shops on Jefferson Street.

The Will County Regional Office of Education is utilizing cannabis tax funds from the Will County Board to add new layers of security to 21 high schools.

Cannabis shop wants to move into vacated NAPA auto parts store on Jefferson Street in Joliet.

A felony gun case fell apart after a Will County judge ruled a sheriff’s deputy unlawfully searched a vehicle based on the smell of marijuana that was never collected or tested.

An Illinois Senate committee advanced a bill on Tuesday that would strictly limit police’s ability to search a vehicle after smelling cannabis

Sales taxes collected at Illinois cannabis dispensaries totaled more than $490 million in 2024, per the Illinois Department of Revenue

Sales taxes collected at Illinois cannabis dispensaries totaled more than $490 million in 2024, per the Illinois Department of Revenue

Defense attorneys in a Lockport Township gun case claim a vehicle search during a traffic stop was unjustified because a deputy claimed he could smell marijuana that was never recovered.

Joliet Democrat Rachel Ventura introduced a measure in the Illinois Senate to ensure that the odor of raw or burnt cannabis alone could not be a reason for police to search a vehicle.

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin is dismissing charges in 19 marijuana-impaired driving cases because laboratories incorrectly detected or measured THC in defendants’ bodies.

A Round Lake man has been sentenced to two years probation in a plea deal after he arrested in Spring Grove last year with almost a pound of marijuana.

Future of the Leaf marijuana infusers, which make marijuana edibles and other products, wants to expand at its McHenry facility.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has added four conditions to the list of conditions eligible for medical cannabis treatment, including Endometriosis and ovarian cysts

The past year saw a lot of changes to the McHenry County retailing and restaurant landscape. Here's a look at some of them.

The Spark'd dispensary in Crystal Lake has permanently closed, according to the business partners. What went wrong?

The smell of raw marijuana alone is enough probable cause for an officer to search a vehicle, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday, reversing the decision of a Whiteside County judge and upholding the appellate court’s ruling.

While Illinois’ cannabis market is booming and the state has made progress in diversifying new licensees, significant hurdles remain for businesses hoping to enter the expanding market, according to an independent review of the industry

Following a decision to limit the sales of drug paraphernalia to licensed tobacco shops, the City of Lockport is looking into possible restrictions on unregulated synthetic drugs sales.

Law enforcement officers in Illinois cannot rely on the smell of burnt cannabis alone to justify searching a vehicle without a warrant, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled on Thursday

Woodstock signs off on a new marijuana dispensary, which would be its first.

Medical marijuana patients can now purchase cannabis grown by small businesses as part of their allotment, Illinois’ top cannabis regulator said, but smaller, newly licensed cannabis growers are still seeking greater access to the state’s medical marijuana customers

A Philadelphia man is behind bars in Whiteside County, charged with trafficking and possessing 150 pounds of cannabis that he said he stole in northern California and was driving to the Chicago area to sell.

The new cannabis dispensary in Fox Lake, Smokehouse, boasts something new for Illinois' marijuana marketplace: boat slips for customers on the water.

Cloud 9 Cannabis, located at 2420 Route 30 in the Townes Crossing shopping center, is slated to open July 22, according to a company email.

Herbal Roots’ Cannafest is a two-day festival held at Elks Page Park in Dixon and meant to celebrate all things cannabis. The festival took place July 12 and 13.

An audit exposed shortcomings that led to a snafu in the DuPage County cannabis tax

Nearly three years after officials discovered an “egregious error” that cost the county millions in cannabis tax revenue, DuPage County Board members are still awaiting answers on how it happened.

DeKalb’s second dispensary, NuEra Cannabis, is celebrating its grand opening Thursday with discounts and a 5:15 p.m. ribbon cutting featuring Chicago Bears legend Jim McMahon.

DeKalb’s second recreational marijuana dispensary is celebrating its grand opening on May 23, with some help from a familiar face to Chicago Bears fans: Quarterback Jim McMahon.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple-effects across the country

Illinois’ largest cannabis business association is pushing to ban the sale of delta-8 THC, an increasingly popular psychoactive substance that’s popped up in corner stores across the country in recent years.

The DeKalb City Council has awarded $25,000 to NuEra Cannabis to help offset costs for some building upgrades underway at the dispensary, 818 W. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.

As Illinois’ recreational cannabis industry once again reported record sales for 2023, the state’s attorney general is calling on the federal government to reclassify the substance.

The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday as to whether the smell of cannabis alone is grounds for police officers to search a vehicle. Last spring, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled the smell of marijuana is enough for police to search a vehicle.

With EarthMed now open in McHenry, there are now six recreational marijuana dispensaries in McHenry County. Five of the locations have opened in the last year.

The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated Excelleaf Dispensary’s grand opening and welcomed the marijuana shop to the Chamber’s membership.

A new glass shop in DeKalb received the go-ahead recently to sell materials used to smoke tobacco or marijuana to customers.

A joint operation in DeKalb pairing a grow supply company with a glass shop moved one step closer this week to fulfilling one of its goals: educating the public about the benefits of growing their own marijuana and how to get their own fix.

Excelleaf, the county’s first recreational cannabis dispensary, held a soft opening Friday.

Excelleaf, DeKalb County’s first ever recreational marijuana dispensary at 305 E. Locust St. in downtown DeKalb, will hold a soft opening starting at 9 a.m. Friday.