ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation will host a lottery to determine who of the 100 applicants from across the Stateline area will get the 55 cannabis dispensary licenses that are up for grabs statewide.

Nearly 2,700 groups submitted applications across the state.

The lottery for the 55 licenses will be held in early to mid-May.

Those who are selected will have 45 days to prove their social equity eligibility criteria, which is to prove that they are low-income or receiving public benefits, have been a victim of a firearm injury, or they or a family member have been charged with a low-level cannabis crime.