#223 – Suing the state of Illinois. Special guest!

In this episode of The Cole Memo, attorney Ali returns to discuss a groundbreaking lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Representing a group of mostly minority and women-owned cannabis transporters, Ali outlines how her clients were granted licenses that were essentially worthless—while larger, established companies received the same licenses under entirely different and more favorable terms. The lawsuit alleges that this created a discriminatory impact and violated the Illinois Civil Rights Act. We also touch on broader issues within the cannabis industry, from transparency in state rulemaking to the politics of outdoor cultivation. With real data, including a 96% failure rate among independent transporters, and insight from the state’s own disparity study, this episode exposes how lofty social equity promises can fall apart in practice. Watch video version and read full show notes here: https://thecolememo.com/2025/07/30/e223/