Pubdate: Thu, 28 Aug 2014
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Copyright: 2014 Chicago Tribune Company
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/IuiAC7IZ
Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/82
Authors: Alexandra Chachkevitch and George Houde
Page: 5

SUBURBS PREPARE FOR MEDICAL POT

Areas Concerned With Visibility, Safety, Zoning

As state officials enacted the rules that will govern the rollout of 
medical marijuana in Illinois, dozens of individual communities 
updated their zoning codes to determine where grow centers and pot 
stores can and cannot be located.

Now, with the state poised to begin accepting applications next month 
for businesses and patients, many suburbs have moved from the 
theoretical to the concrete as they consider specific proposals from 
people who want to grow or sell legal marijuana within town borders.

Communities including Naperville, Elgin, Glenview, Woodstock and La 
Grange have all been eyed by would-be pot purveyors as potential 
sites for medical marijuana dispensaries, with varying success.

Late Wednesday, the Elgin City Council voted 8-1 to approve a 
special-use permit to allow a medical marijuana dispensary to operate 
along Crispin Drive in a commercial area - though the plan remains 
contingent on state approval. Councilman Terry Gavin, who voted in 
favor of the plan by Salveo Health and Wellness, predicted it could 
be as beneficial to the community as the local riverboat has been.

In Elgin and other suburbs, though, much of the concern has revolved 
around whether pot dispensaries should be allowed in traditional 
business districts or - as many local leaders and residents have said 
they prefer - tucked away in more discrete industrial, warehouse or 
office zones where they would be less visible, particularly to children.

The state law also restricts where dispensaries can operate: They 
must be at least 1,000 feet from a school or day care center and 
cannot be within a residential district. And only 60 dispensaries 
will be allowed statewide.

In Glenview, Plan Commission members Tuesday night discussed a 
proposal to open a dispensary in an industrial zone along Lake Avenue.

Glenview resident Julie Stone told local officials there that, if she 
gets state and local approval, she expects her GreenLeaf Organics 
business to serve up to 500 patients. It would be open six days a 
week but closed on Sunday, according to village documents.

Stone said there are people close to her who suffer from painful 
illnesses and could benefit from medical marijuana. Once the state 
law was passed, Stone said she decided to develop a business plan.

"I'm a firm believer in the benefits of the medical marijuana," she said.

A local woman who said she has cancer told officials that she has 
begun using marijuana for pain relief. But she said she'd prefer to 
get it through legal, regulated channels where she can be more 
confident about what she's taking.

Other residents showed concerns about exposure to children. They said 
although the proposed site is more than 1,000 feet from a school or 
day care, it is near businesses catering to children.

The Plan Commission did not take a vote and is expected to continue 
its consideration of the plan next month.

In Elgin, much of the opposition came from neighboring businesses 
that t ried unsuccessfully Wednesday night to get more time to 
provide feedback on the plan. Their concerns revolved mainly around 
security, traffic and local zoning standards.

Houde is a freelance reporter. Tribune reporter Robert McCoppin contributed.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom