First Dispensary Registered in Illinois

The first medical cannabis dispensary in Illinois is now formally registered with the state.

The dispensary, called Harbory, is located in the southern Illinois town of Marion, closer to St. Louis and Nashville than Chicago. Although it has not announced an opening date – largely because cultivators are just starting to grow medical cannabis – the registration means the state inspection process is complete and Harbory can begin serving customers as soon as it obtains MMJ.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation will continue to register dispensaries on a rolling basis and post the names of those with final approval on its website, according to an NBC affiliate.

So far, at least seven out of Illinois’ 21 cultivators allowed by law have been given the green light to start growing cannabis, and at least one of those growers is currently tending plants. That means product could be available in a few  months, and dispensaries could start opening by Thanksgiving.