Recreational marijuana goes on sale Jan. 1 in Illinois. Dispensaries are already getting ready.

Recreational marijuana is just a signature away from being legal in Illinois, and dispensaries are staffing up, remodeling, and wasting no time preparing for new foot traffic.

Illinois lawmakers approved a bill Friday that, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s promised signature, will allow the state’s 55 medical dispensaries to apply to sell recreational marijuana. Additionally, the dispensaries can apply to open a second location. That means more than 100 dispensaries could be selling marijuana by the beginning of next year.

Dispensaries are renovating their spaces and streamlining their processes to serve more customers.

Operators say that by the time recreational marijuana goes on sale Jan. 1, their spaces will be big and efficient enough to handle the crowds of customers. They are looking at technology that can add efficiency, like the software restaurants use to text diners when their table is ready, and systems that let customers preorder their marijuana. The order would be ready when the customer arrives, just like a restaurant can prepare a meal for pickup. [Read more at Chicago Tribune]