State to award up to 60 medical marijuana dispensary licenses

Illinois plans to award up to 60 medical marijuana dispensary licenses for Illinois businesses to be spread throughout the state.

DuPage County received the most applications with 23.

The Department of Agriculture received 159 applications for cultivation centers and expects to award 21 licenses, one in each state police district.

Another round of applications is planned later this year.

The state hopes to issue the first round of licenses before the end of the year.

The first legal marijuana would be available in the spring.