Illinois regulators are proposing rules that would allow licensed marijuana cultivation centers and craft growers to grow plants outdoors, marking a significant change from the state’s existing cultivation framework.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture filed the proposed amendments in the August 14 edition of the Illinois Register. The department says the changes would expressly allow outdoor cultivation while updating other rules to conform with changes enacted earlier this year under Public Act 104-463.
Under the proposal, both cultivation centers and craft growers could cultivate and harvest marijuana outside as long as the growing area meets a series of security requirements.
Outdoor cultivation areas would need to be surrounded by a continuous barrier made from 9-gauge or stronger chain-link fencing and standing at least eight feet high. The barrier would also need razor wire or similar security wire along its entire length.
The growing area would have to be screened or otherwise covered so that plants are not visible to the general public, while entrances and gates would be required to meet the same security standards and include controls restricting access. Each outdoor plant would also be required to have an attached tracking tag.
One notable limitation is that marijuana grown outdoors could not simply be harvested and sold as flower. The proposed rules require marijuana harvested from outdoor cultivation to be processed through extraction and made into cannabis concentrate. The requirement would apply to both cultivation centers and craft growers.
The proposal would also broaden the definition of a licensed premises to include areas approved by the Department of Agriculture outside of traditional enclosed buildings, while continuing to require those areas to remain inaccessible to the public.
Illinois law currently allows craft growers to operate up to 14,000 square feet of flowering canopy. Earlier regulations required cultivation to take place in an enclosed and secure area, with greenhouses among the permitted structures.
The Department of Agriculture says the rulemaking would affect state-licensed cultivation centers and craft growers. A 45-day public comment period began with publication of the proposal in the Illinois Register.
If ultimately adopted, the changes would give licensed growers an alternative to relying entirely on indoor or greenhouse cultivation while maintaining detailed security and product-processing requirements.
