SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Illinois Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday that it closed the 2022 application pool for marijuana licensing by issuing 33 transporter licenses.

Transporter licensees are the ones who are approved to deliver marijuana and marijuana-infused products from growers and infusers to dispensaries. With this latest round of approved licensees, the number of licensed transporters in the State of Illinois now stands at 222.

“My administration remains committed to building the most equitable and economically prosperous cannabis industry in the nation,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Since I signed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act into law in 2019, we’ve issued hundreds of licenses for craft growers, transporters, and dispensaries – a majority of which are social equity applicants. And today, I couldn’t be happier to announce that the IDOA has issued an additional 33 transporter licenses – creating more good-paying jobs and setting the stage for a flourishing cannabis industry.”

“The Department is pleased to see this industry continue to grow” said Jerry Costello, Department of Agriculture Director. “They join the hundreds of Department licensees from the last two years in building the foundation of the legal cannabis industry in Illinois, and together have generated nearly 5,000 good-paying jobs. Our team remains highly focused on its core mission of developing a well-regulated and equitable industry.”

A current list of licensees can be found on the Department of Agriculture’s website.