The Cannabis Research Institute (CRI), a partnership between the University of Illinois and Discovery Partners Institute, officially launched in Illinois last week. In a statement, Gov. JB Pritzker said CRI “will use innovative research and data collection to deepen our understanding of cannabis and help shape the future of the industry, better inform the public, and develop policies for consumer protection, economic and community development, and equity.”
“At the time I was elected, we were allowing people to be held criminally liable – and inequitably so – for consuming cannabis. Just five years later, we have one of the most orderly and successful cannabis industries, and we are launching a research institute – funded by the legal sale of that same plant – that will accelerate the transformation of that old, unfair, unjust system into a vehicle for community revitalization.” — Pritzker in a press release
The CRI is a joint effort supported by the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago, housed within DPI, which is part of the University of Illinois system. It was first announced in 2022 and earlier this year was awarded $7 million over three years from the state Department of Human Services, with the express purpose of supporting research, education, and increased understanding of the potential impacts of cannabis on individuals and communities.
In a statement, Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton called the launch “an exciting development that will move us even closer to an equitable cannabis industry and a more just Illinois.”
“Illinois continues to be at the forefront of cutting-edge practices and programs surrounding cannabis,” she said in the statement. “Holistic reform is part of our administration’s vision for transforming the state’s justice system toward more healing-centered practices.”
In September, CRI opened a new laboratory in a former COVID-19 testing facility on Chicago’s west side Illinois Medical Center campus. The site will temporarily serve as a research base.
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