Plans for a medical marijuana dispensary in Algonquin have stalled.
Ross Morreale, representing ILDISP III LLC, received approval from the Village Board in January 2017 for a special use permit to operate a medical marijuana dispensary at 1154 N. Main St., Algonquin.
The permit would have allowed the company to build an attached garage to the property to provide space for secure deliveries and removal of waste product.
Algonquin Community Development Director Russ Farnum said Morreale would have to come before the board again for approval because the permit expired at the end of 2017. The company hasn’t reached out to the village since February 2017, Farnum said.
The State of Illinois’ Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act became effective in January 2014 and expires in July 2020, according to village documents. The act allows for one medical marijuana dispensary in McHenry County.
The program allows for up to 60 dispensing organizations to be licensed in the state of Illinois. As of June, the state had 20 licensed operating cultivation centers and 53 licensed medical marijuana dispensaries.
Illinois Revenue Department spokesman Terry Horstman said the initial application period for marijuana dispensaries has lapsed, and a second application period for the seven remaining licenses has not yet been announced.
It was unclear why the department was not accepting them anymore, or when they’d start again.
A similar dispensary was proposed for McHenry in May. McHenry officials could not be reached Friday to comment on the project.
The Algonquin business would have operated similar to a pharmacy and distribute limited quantities of marijuana to patients with a prescription from a doctor. The Algonquin building, previously occupied by a MRI facility, remains vacant, Farnum said.
By June 30, 21,800 Illinois residents – including 582 people from McHenry County – had registered for medical marijuana, according to an annual progress report from the Illinois Department of Health.
Attempts to reach Morreale and Justice Growth, the company that proposed to create a dispensary in McHenry, were unsuccessful.
