SHOP
SMOKIN’ P HOT Despite controversy and COVID-19, suburban dispensaries are overcoming sales challenges By Annemarie Mannion
32 MAY 2020 / NAPERVILLEMAGAZINE.COM
ot is a topic of budding interest throughout the western suburbs, and it’s likely to smolder for some time to come. The burgeoning industry has faced challenges including many communities choosing to ban sales of recreational cannabis and the impact of COVID-19, which has forced some stores to impose social distancing measures. Before recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois on January 1, many suburban communities had wrestled over whether to allow sales of recreational pot; some said no to it. The law allows cities and towns to decide for themselves whether they want to allow sales of recreational cannabis to adults 21 and over. It was temporarily banned in Naperville, where opponents noted that marijuana
is still prohibited on the federal level and charged that it would harm the town’s family-friendly atmosphere. The topic led to the City Council’s longest meeting ever—seven hours and 24 minutes—before the council voted against allowing it in September. Other communities, including Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Downers Grove, Bolingbrook, and Elmhurst, also have banned sales of recreational pot. The story is far from over, however. Referendums in March put the question of whether to allow recreational weed sales to some voters and many indicated they’d favor it. A majority of voters in Naperville, Rosemont, Cicero, Northlake, and Westchester said yes to allowing pot sales in their communities, but the referendums are nonbinding—meaning
PHOTO COURTESY BURDI CLOTHING
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