Illinois quick hits: Fair accident victim dies; Illinois cannabis costs more
Fair accident victim dies
The five-year-old girl injured in an accident at the Effingham County Fair has died. Harper Finn of Altamont passed away Wednesday night at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
While attending a horse harness race, Finn was struck by the folding arm of the pace car, which failed to close due to a malfunction and extended into the grandstand.
The Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association set up a GoFundMe page for the Finn family, with over $70,000 raised as of Thursday.
From farms to food banks
A new Illinois law establishes the Illinois Farm to Food Bank Program to expand resources for food bank systems across the state while supporting local farmers. The bill creates mechanisms for acquiring and distributing fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry, and dairy to organizations providing free food for those in need.
Food acquired through the program must be from Illinois producers and must meet market-grade quality. However, much of the food going to the program is excess food that would have been wasted without food banks as an outlet.
Illinois cannabis costs more
Those who partake in legal marijuana in Illinois are paying a considerable amount more than the rest of the country. Illinois’ taxes are part of the story, with a 6.25% sales tax and an excise tax of up to 25% depending on the amount of THC.
Research by the company Headset shows that the average cost of marijuana is 89% higher than the rest of the country. There are fewer choices in Illinois as well. Headset found that Illinois dispensaries have 118 brands, while Michigan has about 800.
