Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday that he tapped state Sen. Toi Hutchinson to oversee the state’s recreational cannabis program.
Hutchinson, an Olympia Fields Democrat who helped craft the recreational pot law, will resign her 40th District Senate seat before stepping into her new role.
“Senator Toi Hutchinson has been an outstanding and highly effective advocate for her constituents and all the people of Illinois,” Pritzker said in a statement. “She has thoroughly impressed me with her drive, insight and ability to get big things done.”
Hutchinson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on her new role.
The announcement comes roughly three months before the state lifts the prohibition on recreational pot — a move that could make Illinois’ cannabis market one of the nation’s largest.
Hutchinson was a driving force in passing the 610-page legalization measure, which prioritizes criminal and social justice and aims to make the state’s overwhelmingly white marijuana industry more inclusive. Pritzker noted that Hutchinson will “bring her leadership to our effort at keeping equity at the forefront of the state’s new adult-use cannabis industry.”
In her new role, Hutchinson will be tasked with publishing a study by March 2021 that probes possible discrimination in the cannabis industry and its effects on the state. The study will include recommendations to the Illinois departments of agriculture and financial and professional regulation “for reducing or eliminating any identified barriers to entry in the cannabis market,” according to the legalization law.
Further, Hutchinson will suggest and promote methods to ensure diversity in the industry, coordinate the cannabis-related efforts of various state agencies and make recommendations for policy and rule changes.
In 2009, Hutchinson was appointed to fill Debbie Halvorson’s Senate seat after she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Local Democratic leaders from Hutchinson’s district — which includes portions of Cook, Grundy, Kankakee and Will counties — will now vote to select her replacement.
In a statement Thursday, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said Hutchinson “has tackled some of the toughest issues facing our state, always performing with grace, eloquence and determination.”
“While her departure will be a profound loss for the Illinois Senate, I congratulate her on her new role and wish her nothing but the best as she continues to serve the residents of Illinois,” Cullerton added.
Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokeswoman for the governor, said it was unclear when Hutchinson’s tenure will start.
