Illinois was the first state in the U.S. to fully legalize adult-use cannabis through legislation, setting a precedent for the rest of the nation.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker highlighted the importance of that initiative Thursday in a keynote address at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago.
"Welcome to the greatest city in the greatest country in the world," Pritzker told the packed crowd.
Cannabis Reform: The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, enacted in 2020, was years in the making and very carefully planned out, the Illinois governor said.
The legislation has helped Illinois become the home of some of the largest cannabis companies in the country, creating more than 30,000 jobs along the way.
The state also righted its wrongs by expunging over 800,000 low-level marijuana possession charges. Pritzker also personally pardoned tens of thousands of people who had been convicted.
"We couldn't just legalize cannabis and say that our work was ...