Column: Grass won't always be greener in Illinois

Chicago Tribune

5 days ago

Lake County pot shops close to the Wisconsin border have had a monopoly on the sale of marijuana products to out-of-staters for years. But, that green edge may fade if some politicians in the Badger State have their way.
From Antioch to Winthrop Harbor and into Waukegan, cannabis dispensaries operate, beckoning Wisconsinites to partake in what is illegal in America's Dairyland: Buds and edibles.
If Illinoisans headed north last week to buy fireworks, a steady stream of Wisconsin plates reciprocated, heading to Lake County grass dispensaries.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is confident if Democrats take control of the legislature next year, the state will legalize marijuana sales. At last month's annual party convention in the Wisconsin Dells, Evers told conventioneers, according to several media accounts, he believes next year with legislative redistricting and a Democrat majority in Madison, 'We could finally legalize marijuana so we can stop sending our revenue down to my good friend down in Illinois.'
That was a reference to fellow Democrat governor JB Pritzker, as Evers acknowledged residents of his state do journey to Illinois for their stash. In 2024, the Illinois Department of Revenue estimated more than $385 million in adult-use cannabis products were purchased by out-of-state residents.
Indeed, a separate legislative analysis requested by Wisconsin lawmakers estimated state residents spent more than $121 million on pot products at Illinois dispensaries in 2022, contributing some $36 million in tax revenue to its southern neighbor.
Wisconsin lawmakers and elected officials have danced with Mary Jane before, but legislation never grew the way it did in Illinois. Republicans have been the ones stonewalling against legalizing recreational and medical marijuana sales in Wisconsin, despite several polls showing residents in favor of legalization.
Evers may not just be blowing smoke in his assessment of Democrat gains in the off-presidential year election. The party gained legislative seats last November, narrowing the Republican majority in the state Senate by three seats.
Wisconsin remains a pot prohibition island in the Midwest. Besides Illinois, Michigan has legal pot sales statewide. Just over the Wisconsin state line, there is an Upper Peninsula dispensary that offers the ease of a drive-thru option to buy ganja.
Minnesota's marijuana market has had a slow roll-out since the state legalized recreational marijuana sales and usage in 2023. Pot shops in the state are still not up and running. Iowa offers medical marijuana sales.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum maintains that more than half of state residents over the age of 21 live or will live within a 75-minute drive of a legal marijuana dispensary. A fiscal estimate of the economic impact of legal weed done by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue in 2023 found sales would generate at minimum $170 million annually in tax revenue through a proposed 15% wholesale excise tax, and a 10% retail excise tax.
By comparison, Illinois, which is in its fifth year of legal reefer, has seen sales break records annually. Dispensaries reported that more than $2 billion in recreational and medical cannabis products were sold last year, a 2.5% increase from 2023, according to the state's Department of Revenue, which noted sales taxes on pot amounted to more than $490 million last year.
That's some heady cash for Kush. Surely, if Wisconsin does legalize the herb, Illinois sales eventually will take a hit. It's not like Wisconsin needs more revenue.
The state has about a $4.6 billion budget, enough to hand out $1.3 billion in income tax cuts this year for middle-class residents and getting rid of the state's tax on electricity usage. Even with record-breaking marijuana sales, Illinois residents continue to pay some of the highest taxes in the nation, including the second-highest tax on gasoline.
However, sales numbers may be moot if more studies come out about the dangers of marijuana usage. In one of the largest studies to date, CNN reported last month that a new analysis of medical data involving 200 million people between 19 and 59 across the globe determined using pot doubles the risk of dying from heart disease.
Compared to nonusers, those who used cannabis also had a 29% higher risk for heart attacks and a 20% higher risk for stroke, according to the study published in the medical journal, Heart. The information comes from studies conducted in the U.S., Australia, Egypt, Canada, France and Sweden between 2016 and 2023.
One of the reasons researchers point to potentially higher cardiovascular disease among pot users is the potent strains of marijuana sold today compared to the illegal blends of the 1960s and '70s. Stronger weed, according to a 2022 study, also contributes to an increase in dependence, which may be a factor in sales at Illinois dispensaries.
Regardless, marijuana sales are here to stay and have augmented Illinois revenues, just as fees on other vices. In the coming years, they may not stay higher.