What is 93 Boyz cannabis brand?

93 Boyz is an Illinois cannabis brand founded by rapper and activist Vic Mensa in 2022. It became the first Black-owned cannabis brand in Illinois, partnering with Aeriz (known for aeroponic growing) to produce premium flower. The name references Mensa's birth year and South Side Chicago roots. The brand represents what Illinois's social equity program was designed to create: Black entrepreneurship in a legal cannabis industry.

What is the Miracle in Mundelein cannabis festival?

Miracle in Mundelein is a cannabis consumption festival produced by GTI (Green Thumb Industries) in Mundelein, Illinois (Lake County). It features major musical acts including Wiz Khalifa, Wu-Tang Clan members GZA and Raekwon, and Slightly Stoopid, alongside on-site cannabis consumption, dab bars, joint-rolling stations, and vendor booths. The suburban location reflects Chicago's restrictive consumption rules that push cannabis events to collar-county jurisdictions.

Chicago Cannabis Scene — 93 Boyz, Cookies & Mindy's

Q: Where is the Cookies dispensary in Chicago?

Cookies Chicago is located at 215 N Clinton Street in the West Loop, near Union Station. The Berner-founded brand brings its California aesthetic and genetics to the Midwest. The West Loop location places Cookies in Chicago's restaurant and nightlife corridor, positioning cannabis retail as a lifestyle destination.

Legal Disclaimer: This information reflects Illinois cannabis law as of April 2026 and is for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Laws and regulations change — always verify current rules with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation or a qualified attorney. Cannabis remains illegal under federal law.

Last verified: March 2026

93 Boyz: The Brand That Changed the Narrative

93 Boyz, founded by rapper and activist Vic Mensa, launched in 2022 as the first Black-owned cannabis brand in Illinois. The brand partners with Aeriz, one of Illinois's premier cultivators known for aeroponic growing methods, to produce premium flower. The name references Mensa's birth year and South Side roots. 93 Boyz represents what the social equity program was supposed to create: Black entrepreneurship in a legal industry built on the ashes of enforcement that disproportionately targeted Black communities.

Cookies Chicago

Cookies opened its Chicago location at 215 N Clinton Street in the West Loop, steps from Union Station. The Berner-founded brand brings its California aesthetic and genetics to the Midwest. The West Loop location places Cookies squarely in Chicago's restaurant and nightlife corridor — a deliberate brand positioning that treats cannabis retail as a lifestyle destination rather than a clinical dispensary experience.

Mindy's Edibles

Mindy Segal, a James Beard Award-winning pastry chef, partnered with Cresco Labs to create Mindy's Edibles — a line of cannabis-infused gummies and chocolates that brought culinary credibility to the Illinois edibles market. Segal's involvement signaled that cannabis edibles could be a serious food product, not just a novelty. The partnership between a celebrated Chicago chef and the state's largest MSO bridged the gap between craft and corporate in a way unique to Illinois.

Miracle in Mundelein

The Miracle in Mundelein festival, produced by GTI (Green Thumb Industries), brought something unprecedented to Illinois: a cannabis consumption festival with major musical acts. The lineup included Wiz Khalifa, Wu-Tang Clan members GZA and Raekwon, and Slightly Stoopid. The festival featured on-site consumption, dab bars, joint-rolling stations, and cannabis vendor booths — an open celebration of cannabis culture in a state where public consumption remains technically illegal.

The festival's suburban location in Mundelein (Lake County) rather than Chicago proper reflects the regulatory reality: the city's restrictive consumption rules make urban cannabis events nearly impossible, pushing cannabis culture events to more permissive collar-county jurisdictions.

The Cultivate Festival

Cultivate Festival launched in 2023 as a hip-hop and cannabis convergence event. Unlike Miracle's MSO-backed production, Cultivate leaned into the street-level intersection of music and cannabis culture that has always existed in Chicago but rarely gets corporate sponsorship. The festival represents the grassroots side of Chicago's scene — closer to the culture that produced 93 Boyz than the corporate polish of a Cookies retail opening.

Urban vs. Downstate Divide

Chicago dominates the narrative, but Illinois cannabis culture has a sharp geographic split. College towns like Champaign-Urbana (home to the University of Illinois) have developed their own dispensary ecosystems and consumption cultures. Meanwhile, rural opt-outs create a patchwork where some downstate communities embrace cannabis retail and others ban it entirely. The divide mirrors broader Illinois politics — blue Chicago versus red downstate — applied to cannabis acceptance.

Chicago Cannabis Culture Is Everywhere — Except Legally in Public

Chicago has a thriving cannabis scene but almost no legal public consumption. Dispensaries are retail-only. Consumption lounges are essentially nonexistent in the city. Festivals with on-site consumption happen in the suburbs, not downtown. The culture exists in private spaces, rooftop gatherings, and events that push legal boundaries.