Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
It's an new era. Legal marijuana sales reached $6.7 billion in 2016, and 57 percent of adults think it's time to legalize the drug – an all-time high for a country, which as recently as 10 years ago, overwhelmingly opposed legalization. Illinois has a sales tax of 1 percent on pharmaceuticals and 7 percent on all cultivated medical marijuana, and while sales information has not been released, the medical marijuana pilot program brought in almost $2 million in its first two months.
There already are dispensaries as close as Mokena and Morris, but local patients might soon be able to buy their medical marijuana right here in town from Greenhouse Group, as Kankakee considers a dispensary on the 900 block of South Schuyler Ave.
Ahead of the city council's Feb. 6 decision on the proposed dispensary, here's a quick guide to medical marijuana.
What's the state of legalized marijuana? Medical marijuana is legal in 26 states and Washington, D.C. According to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, there are 51 medical marijuana dispensaries in operation across the state, eight of which in are Chicago.
How does a person qualify for a medical marijuana card? In Illinois, the process is quite strict. Qualifying conditions include chronic diseases such as hepatitis C, lupus and Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain and spinal injuries, cancer and seizure disorders. Those suffering from terminal illnesses with less than six months to live also qualify. Under even stricter guidelines, children younger than 18 also are eligible.
Who is getting marijuana? According to the Illinois Department of Health, Kankakee has 44 registered medical marijuana patients. There are 4,037 patients across the state, and cancer is the top qualifying condition. About a third of patients are between the ages of 51 and 60.
"The patients in Illinois are by and large sick people that are trying to access medicine. They're not stereotypes," says Matthew Darin, one of the operators of Greenhouse Group, which also has dispensaries in Mokena, Morris and Deerfield. "There's not another program in the country as highly regulated as this one. If you were to see the people coming in, it would be a lot like the people you'd see coming into a doctor's office."
If marijuana is medicine, why can't I buy it at my local pharmacy? It's complicated. Even though individual states have legalized the sale of medical, and even recreational, marijuana, pot is federally classified as a Schedule I substance, alongside drugs such as LSD, heroin, and ecstasy. That means according to the federal government, these drugs have "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." A doctor or pharmacist would be breaking federal law by prescribing marijuana and risk their license. That's the same reason dispensary customers have to pay in cash – most banks don't want to deal with what is technically drug money.
This could change in the future, as the federal government recognizes there are legitimate medical uses for some Schedule I drugs.
What's it like inside the dispensaries? "We didn't want it to feel clinical in any way," said Mokena's Greenhouse Group dispensary manager Brandon Smith. "Our stores are very spa-like in a way, very soft colors, a relaxing environment. We don't want it to be stressful."
"Our patients spend a lot of time in doctor's offices and pharmacies and while we have all the same security controls, even beyond what's at those places, we want our environment to be very welcoming," added Darin. Greenhouse Group also offers meditation and nutrition classes.
What concerns do police have about dispensaries? Not many. "Greenhouse Group has done an excellent job, and everything we asked them to do they do in terms of security, they've done," Mokena Police Chief Steven Vaccaro said. "It's been a great partnership for the village." While they are cash-only, dispensaries have strong security measures, including fortified walls, bulletproof glass and on-site security guards.
"There's no indication that it brought any crime to that area," said Police Chief John Fliozis, of Deerfield, where another Greenhouse Group dispensary operates. "We certainly understood concerns and we were cautious as well, but there's been nothing to indicate that those came to fruition." Both dispensaries consulted with police beforehand about security measures, and neither city has had major incidents involving the dispensary.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: A Look Inside The Medical Marijuana Industry
Author: Allison Shapiro
Contact: 815-937-3322
Photo Credit: Seth Perlman
Website: Daily Journal
There already are dispensaries as close as Mokena and Morris, but local patients might soon be able to buy their medical marijuana right here in town from Greenhouse Group, as Kankakee considers a dispensary on the 900 block of South Schuyler Ave.
Ahead of the city council's Feb. 6 decision on the proposed dispensary, here's a quick guide to medical marijuana.
What's the state of legalized marijuana? Medical marijuana is legal in 26 states and Washington, D.C. According to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, there are 51 medical marijuana dispensaries in operation across the state, eight of which in are Chicago.
How does a person qualify for a medical marijuana card? In Illinois, the process is quite strict. Qualifying conditions include chronic diseases such as hepatitis C, lupus and Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain and spinal injuries, cancer and seizure disorders. Those suffering from terminal illnesses with less than six months to live also qualify. Under even stricter guidelines, children younger than 18 also are eligible.
Who is getting marijuana? According to the Illinois Department of Health, Kankakee has 44 registered medical marijuana patients. There are 4,037 patients across the state, and cancer is the top qualifying condition. About a third of patients are between the ages of 51 and 60.
"The patients in Illinois are by and large sick people that are trying to access medicine. They're not stereotypes," says Matthew Darin, one of the operators of Greenhouse Group, which also has dispensaries in Mokena, Morris and Deerfield. "There's not another program in the country as highly regulated as this one. If you were to see the people coming in, it would be a lot like the people you'd see coming into a doctor's office."
If marijuana is medicine, why can't I buy it at my local pharmacy? It's complicated. Even though individual states have legalized the sale of medical, and even recreational, marijuana, pot is federally classified as a Schedule I substance, alongside drugs such as LSD, heroin, and ecstasy. That means according to the federal government, these drugs have "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." A doctor or pharmacist would be breaking federal law by prescribing marijuana and risk their license. That's the same reason dispensary customers have to pay in cash – most banks don't want to deal with what is technically drug money.
This could change in the future, as the federal government recognizes there are legitimate medical uses for some Schedule I drugs.
What's it like inside the dispensaries? "We didn't want it to feel clinical in any way," said Mokena's Greenhouse Group dispensary manager Brandon Smith. "Our stores are very spa-like in a way, very soft colors, a relaxing environment. We don't want it to be stressful."
"Our patients spend a lot of time in doctor's offices and pharmacies and while we have all the same security controls, even beyond what's at those places, we want our environment to be very welcoming," added Darin. Greenhouse Group also offers meditation and nutrition classes.
What concerns do police have about dispensaries? Not many. "Greenhouse Group has done an excellent job, and everything we asked them to do they do in terms of security, they've done," Mokena Police Chief Steven Vaccaro said. "It's been a great partnership for the village." While they are cash-only, dispensaries have strong security measures, including fortified walls, bulletproof glass and on-site security guards.
"There's no indication that it brought any crime to that area," said Police Chief John Fliozis, of Deerfield, where another Greenhouse Group dispensary operates. "We certainly understood concerns and we were cautious as well, but there's been nothing to indicate that those came to fruition." Both dispensaries consulted with police beforehand about security measures, and neither city has had major incidents involving the dispensary.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: A Look Inside The Medical Marijuana Industry
Author: Allison Shapiro
Contact: 815-937-3322
Photo Credit: Seth Perlman
Website: Daily Journal