Many marijuana businesses in Illinois fear they wont' be ready for recreational sales on Jan. 1

CHICAGO - The medical marijuana dispensary in Naperville snagged one of the first state licenses issued to sell recreational pot, creating expectations of a steady flow of new customers when sales start on Jan. 1.

But the dispensary's plans were shelved just five days later when the Naperville City Council voted to prohibit recreational sales in the city.

What happened in Naperville made real an ongoing concern for many Illinois cannabis operators who are increasingly uncertain about their ability to launch by New Year's Day because of both rules that exist and those yet to be made.

Marijuana companies say they want to play by the book, but the book hasn't been fully written as a host of administrative rules over recreational pot have yet to even be proposed.

"There will be a lot of dispensaries not ready," said Gorgi Naumovski, CEO of Thrive Dispensary, which has two downstate locations. "We're all in the dark."

When Gov. J. B. Pritzker signed the legislation to legalize recreational marijuana June 25, it started a 180-day clock for