Illinois Cannabis Outlook 2025: WhereAre We and Where Are We Going?

Illinois Cannabis Outlook 2025: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?

Illinois_Cannabis_Outlook__Where_Are_We_and_Where_Are_We_Going Authors Ali Jubelirer - Of Counsel

Ali is a seasoned legal and business professional with deep expertise in labor and employment law, particularly as it intersects with the unique challenges of the cannabis industry. With a career spanning over two decades, Ali has guided businesses through a variety of legal, regulatory, and operational challenges. Her areas of focus include labor and employment, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and commercial contracts, with a keen understanding of the evolution of the national and international cannabis landscape.

Cole Eastman - Associate Cole focuses on providing licensing, regulatory, and transactional advice to businesses in cannabis, hospitality, and beyond. With clients ranging from multi-state operators to Social Equity Applicants – his primary focus has been assisting cannabis companies with regulatory and legal matters as they attempt to take their business from license to fully-operational facility. Over the course of his career, Cole has assisted in securing over 65 cannabis licenses in limited-license states. Victoria Mendicino – Law Clerk / Legal Extern | Cannabis Industry Group

Victoria Mendicino – Law Clerk / Legal Extern | Cannabis Industry Group

Victoria Mendicino brings a deep understanding of the unique challenges facing the cannabis industry to her role as a law clerk at Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP. Her decade of industry experience has been marked by strategic engagement with lawmakers to advance common sense reforms, real-world regulatory compliance, and work on transactional matters. Victoria is a 2026 J.D. Candidate at DePaul University College of Law, where she earned CALI Awards in Torts and Legal Analysis Research and Communication