Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) All individuals who have access to a
dispensing organization's restricted access area and who are not otherwise
registered as an agent-in-charge, a principal officer, or are identified on the
dispensary's approved vendor list, are required to be registered by the
Department as an agent and be issued an agent ID card. These individuals
include, but are not limited to:
1)
Individuals involved with in-take of cannabis or cannabis-infused product
deliveries;
2) Individuals
fulfilling cannabis or cannabis-infused product orders;
3) Individuals involved with the destruction
of cannabis or cannabis-infused products;
4) Individuals entering purchasers' cannabis
or cannabis-infused product orders into any point of sale system used by a
dispensing organization; and
5)
Individuals employed by the dispensing organization that engage in inventory
verifications.
b)
Communications with the Department. The Department will only communicate with
the agent's email address the Department has on record, or with a third-party
so long as a third-party authorization form is submitted. In order to change
its contact information, an agent must submit a request to the Department from
the email address the Department has on record. If the current email address is
inaccessible, the agent must submit a certification attesting to the
inaccessibility and request the change.
c) Fees. The fees for an agent are as
follows. All fees are nonrefundable and all monies collected under the Act
shall be deposited in the Cannabis Regulation Fund in the State Treasury.
1) The application fee for an agent ID card
is $100. This fee includes the physical card. (See Section 15-40(a)(5) of the
Act.)
2) The annual renewal fee for
an agent ID card is $100. (See Section 15-45(d)(2) of the Act.)
3) The late fee for renewal of an agent ID
card is $50.
4) The fee for the
issuance of a replacement agent ID card is $50.
5) The fee to restore an agent ID card is
$100. (See Section 15-40(b) of the Act.)
d) Agent ID Card Application. Prior to
performing the duties of an agent within a dispensing organization, an agent ID
card application shall be submitted by a dispensing organization principal
officer or agent-in-charge in a form or manner provided by the Department.
1) Completed applications shall include the
following:
A) The name of the dispensing
organization employing the agent, and the address of the dispensary;
B) A copy of the applicant's valid driver's
license or a State-issued identification;
C) Electronic picture of applicant taken
within 30 days of the application submission;
D) The applicant's social security
number;
E) The application
fee;
F) Department background check
authorizations in compliance with
410 ILCS
705/5-20. These authorizations include Fingerprint
Consent Forms and livescan vendor receipt demonstrating that the agent
applicant has applied for a fingerprint-based criminal history records check.
Applicants shall only have valid fingerprints taken that are capable of being
retrieved by the Department; and
G)
Any additional information requested by the Department necessary to verify the
identity of the applicant.
2) The Department will issue an agent ID card
if all of the criteria under subsection (d)(1) is met and the applicant passes
a background check. Applicants may begin working at a dispensary once an
application has been submitted. If the applicant is notified of a deficiency in
their application, the applicant must submit the information or documentation
requested within 30 calendar days of the notification requesting the
information or documents. If the applicant fails to provide the requested
documentation or information, the Department will deny the issuing of the agent
ID card, and the applicant may no longer enter the dispensary except as a
member of the public. Applicants may not work at the dispensary after receiving
a Notice of Intent to Deny Licensure as defined by the Rules of Practice in
Administrative Hearings (68 Ill. Adm. Code
1110.30).
3) The Department will communicate with the
applicant's contact information on file, including the applicant's email
address of record, the primary contact, and/or the alternate contact associated
with the application.
e)
Agent Training
1) All individuals who are
required to apply as an agent shall annually complete eight hours of training
through an approved Responsible Vendor Program.
2) Individuals required to apply as an agent
shall complete the Responsible Vendor Program:
A) Within 90 calendar days of commencing
initial employment at a dispensary; and
B) Within 45 calendar days before the
individual's license renewal is due or within 45 calendar days after the
individual's renewal has been approved; unless,
C) The individual commences employment at a
new dispensing organization within one year of that individual's annual or
renewal requirements in the above subsection (e)(2)(A) or (B).
3) Training certifications from a
provider who is not an approved responsible vendor provider will not be
accepted by the Department. An individual with a training certificate that is
not accepted by the Department is required to complete an approved responsible
vendor program within 20 days after the Department provides notice of the
deficiency. The Department will grant an extension to the deadlines established
in subsection (e) on an individual basis so long as the individual demonstrates
a good faith belief that a complete training program was approved by the
Department.
f) Agent
Renewal and Restoration
1) All agent ID cards
shall expire one year from the date the agent ID card is issued. An agent shall
submit an online renewal application to renew the agent ID card no later than
30 calendar days preceding the card's expiration date.
2) As part of an agent's renewal, the agent
shall certify to the Department that they are in compliance with the required
annual responsible vendor program training.
3) An agent seeking restoration of a license
due to termination of employment or expiration of the underlying license shall
have the license restored upon request to the Department and payment of the
required fee. A restored agent must comply with subsection (d) upon beginning
employment.
4) At any time after
the successful completion of any term of suspension, placement on probationary
status or other disciplinary action taken by the Department with regards to any
agent ID card, the agent may file a petition for restoration in accordance with
68 Ill. Adm. Code 1110.30.
g) Agent Duties and Prohibitions
1) All individuals registered as an agent are
subject to the codes of conduct and grounds for discipline identified in
Sections 1291.60 and 1291.70. The Department may suspend, revoke, or otherwise
discipline an agent's license, registration, and/or agent ID card for a
violation of the Act or this Part.
2) An individual registered as an agent shall
not otherwise be registered as an agent-in-charge under Section
1291.25.
3) An agent shall not
dispense cannabis or cannabis-infused products to other agents or employees of
the dispensing organization if the purchasing agent or employee is on duty. For
the purposes of this subsection, an employee is on-duty when they are being
compensated for their work, including any paid lunch or break.
4) Agents shall not consume cannabis or
cannabis-infused products on the premises of the dispensing
organization.