The Daily Northwestern — January 9, 2020

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The Daily Northwestern Thursday, January 9, 2020

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NU students discuss cannabis legalization

Group proposes cannabis sales tax Three percent tax suggested by Board of Commissioners By ISABELLE SARRAF

the daily northwestern @isabellesarraf

Graphic provided by the City of Evanston.

Proposed cannabis dispensary zoning districts with 500, 750 and 1,000 feet buffers around schools.

City to consider dispensary zoning Plan Commission OK’s amendment for Council consideration By EMMA YARGER

the daily northwestern @emmayarger

Evanston’s Plan Commission unanimously passed an

amendment for City Council consideration to reduce the required distance between cannabis dispensaries and primary and secondary educational institutions at a Wednesday meeting. This issue was introduced

by Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) at a November City Council meeting concerning Howard Street. The street is the main point of contention due to the differences in dispensary zoning laws between Evanston and Chicago.

Chicago dispensaries are currently able to open just 500 feet from schools. Under the current requirements, Evanston dispensaries must open 750 feet from » See PLAN, page 6

The Cook County Board of Commissioners proposed a three percent cannabis sales tax at a Dec. 19 meeting, the highest a state can tax. The tax would be in addition to local sales tax and a 20 to 30 percent state tax based on cannabis potency, which means Evanston residents could pay almost 40 percent in taxes on recreational cannabis. If passed, the tax would be imposed starting July 1. Larry Suffredin — the Cook County Commissioner for District 13, which includes Evanston — said the tax was reasonable given the high first-day cannabis sales. Illinois yielded around $5.4 million in cannabis sales within the first two days of legalization for recreational use. “ The count y wil l be impacted more than municipalities because we run a large healthcare system,” Suffredin said. “The expectations of medical experts is that they will have a lot of marijuana-related cases coming in, and many of them are

people who don’t have insurance, so we’re going to have to cover that.” Commissioner Bill Lowry said recreational cannabis sales could generate up to $2.5 billion in recreational sales annually in Illinois. The county also established an 11-member Cannabis Commission, consisting of several commissioners and administrators. The commission will analyze the impact of the recreational cannabis industry on Cook County, particularly social equity and decriminalization efforts, Lowry said. “The work of the Cook County Cannabis Commission will be far-reaching,” Lowry said. “One thing I think is very important is that we look at every way possible to bring about investment in disproportionately impacted areas in Cook County.” MedMen, 1804 Maple Ave., is currently the only licensed cannabis dispensary in Evanston. Police officials estimated that on the first day of sales, there were roughly 400 people were in line at one time, according to the Chicago Tribune. One week after legalization, customers are still lining up outside the dispensary’s doors up to two hours before it opens » See TAX, page 6

NU researchers Markle, Prince Harry to “step back” found as most cited NU alumna, husband plan to split between North America, U.K. Study shows NU academics lead many in area By ANUSHUYA THAPA

the daily northwestern @anushuyathapa

Northwestern faculty members and researchers are among the most cited academics in the world, according to an annual list released by the Web of Science Group within Clarivate Analytics, a global data firm. The 32 researchers include Weinberg Prof. Antonio Facchetti and McCormick Prof. Yonggang Huang, the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Faccheti’s paper on electron-conducting polymers in “Nature,” a scientific research journal, was cited about 2,000 times.The many citations were a result of the fact that his research was unique in an academic field that had previously focused

on positive-charge carrying materials, said Facchetti. His research on organic conductors enables the creation of lightweight electronic devices at lower, cheaper temperatures by directly printing the new material onto plastics. Huang studies how “popup” techniques can 3D print silicon which cannot be fabricated in other ways. He said frequent citations show the usefulness of his research, though they come with no tangible recognition. “(Citation) is just like your work is being recognized and used by others,” Huang said. “And you feel like what you’re doing is something useful to other people.” Applying his research, Facchetti has worked with investors to create Flexterra, a company based on providing and sometimes recreating his patented materials to suit the needs of clients like Samsung and Foxconn. » See RESEARCH, page 6

Serving the University and Evanston since 1881

By TROY CLOSSON AND ELLA BROCKWAY daily senior staffers @troy_closson @ellabrockway

Nor thwestern alumna Meghan Markle (Communication ‘03) and her husband Prince Harry announced they intend to “step back” as senior members of the British royal family today, saying they’re making plans to split time between North America and the U.K. after facing continued challenges abroad. Their announcement was first published on the Sussex Royal Instagram account Wednesday afternoon, after “many months of reflection and internal discussions.” “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” their statement said. “It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few » See ROYALTY, page 6

Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images/TNS

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the WellChild awards pre-Ceremony reception at Royal Lancaster Hotel on October 15, 2019 in London, England.

INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Arts & Entertainment 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8


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