CHICAGO (CBS) — In less than a week, Illinois will allow recreational marijuana.
But there are loopholes.
These are the loose ends you may have missed.
Most of the questions about weed first require answers about in what form it’s being consumed.
Question 1: How much can I have?
Thirty grams of weed in flower form is the max, which is typically somewhere between 30 to 50 joints worth. A gram is roughly the weight of a paperclip.
If consuming cannabis concentrate – think oil cartridges and medicated muscle creams – then five grams is the cap. If it’s edibles, like brownies or gummies, then 500 milligrams is the most you can have. While it can wildly vary, that’s usually 50 edibles worth.
It’s worth noting that if you are not an Illinois resident, you are only allowed to have half of those quantities inside state lines.
Question 2: How much will I be taxed?
It depends on the amount of THC, the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects. In flower form, there will be a 10% tax. Edibles are taxed 20% but jumps to 25% if the THC levels are above 35%.
In most states that have legalized recreational weed, it’s typically 30-50% more expensive than illegal weed.
Question 3: Where can I smoke weed?
At approved tobacco retailers and weed dispensaries. At home, if you own. If you rent, you’ll need approval from your landlord. If you’re in public housing or use a public housing voucher, you cannot smoke marijuana there.
Just days before the light goes green in Illinois, colleges can allow marijuana, but CBS 2 couldn’t find any that would. It would jeopardize the federal drug-free schools and communities act.
