Robert Celt
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A medical pot company is getting ready to roll out its third dispensary in the south suburbs.
Awaiting the delivery of furniture and a final inspection by the state, Windy City Cannabis is aiming for a Thursday or Friday opening at its Worth location at 11425 S. Harlem Ave.
The company has already opened medical marijuana dispensaries in Homewood and Justice. A fourth is slated to open in Posen before the end of the month.
Windy City Cannabis COO Peyton Hurst opened the dispensary for a tour with Worth's elected and police officials. Once Illinois gives the final nod, only patients and their caregivers with a state-issued, medical marijuana ID card will be allowed in the dispensary's inner sanctum.
Founded by former Lincoln Park attorney Steven Weisman, who is the company's CEO, Weisman teamed up with childhood soccer pal Hurst, who manages the daily operations of four locations. Although the dispensary cannot make doctor referrals, Hurst said patients have built up their own network.
"We're noticing that most doctors are very receptive," Hurst said. "Larger healthcare providers have been slower to jump on."
The Worth dispensary, as well as others operated by the company, is heavily cameraed to ensure patients' and employees' security. The waiting room is cozy and inviting, with a friendly dispensary and private consultation room. Behind key-carded doors are offices, employee break room, and an interior loading dock.
The state requires a 1:1 employee-patient ratio, so only one patient at a time can be buzzed into the actual dispensary to pick up his or her product. Medical marijuana consumption is strictly forbidden on the premises.
Hurst explained that patients should expect to pay prices on the higher end for products with names like Alien Jack, Cheese and Chong, and Chicago Blue for awhile until the state's 18 cultivation centers get rolling.The cost for buds averages $20 per gram, $60 for an eighth of an ounce, and up to $400 or more for an counce.
Like all the state's medical marijuana dispensaries, Windy City Cannabis is a cash-only business because marijuana use is against federal law. Most banks and credit card companies are federally regulated.
"We have no control over our pricing," Hurst said. "Only less than half of the cultivation centers have product, but once the crop cycles are completed, supply will outweigh demand and pricing will get friendlier."
Cultivation centers that Windy City Cannabis expects to do business with include Bedford Grow, in Bedford Park, and Cresco Labs, which operates cultivation facilities in Joliet, Kankakee and Springfield.
Patients will also pay sales tax, which in Worth is 2.25 percent on pharmaceutical products. The state distributes about 1 percent of sales revenue back to the municipality.
Inviting a medical marijuana dispensary into the community required a local ordinance to allow the sale of medical marijuana to be sold in Worth. Village board members passed the ordinance unanimously, but not before a lengthy town hall meeting with residents.
Worth Mayor Mary Werner said she was moved by the many video testimonials she watched of patients suffering from chronic pain and other medical conditions discussing how medical marijuana had given them their lives back.
"Eighteen months ago I never gave medical marijuana much thought," Werner said. "The village board spent a lot of time researching it on the Internet. Nobody ever o.d.'ed on marijuana, and nobody ever came up with a list of side effects like what you'd get at CVS."
To be able to purchase medical marijuana, patients and caregivers must apply to the Illinois Department of Public Health and provide documentation from their physicians. The law bars anyone with a felony drug conviction from obtaining a medical marijuana card. When applying, patients will be asked to choose a dispensary.
Staff members receive accredited online training by the Cannabis Training Institute, another budding business in the fast-growing medical cannabis industry.
Windy City Cannabis hopes to do community outreach at local health and vendor fairs. Hours are 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The dispensary is closed on Sunday.
Hurst added as word travels about the dispensaries' opening, Windy City Cannabis is fielding up to 60 calls a day from patients.
"My days are a lot more fun and far more rewarding than what I was doing before," the former hedge fund customer service rep said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Illinois: Medical Marijuana Company Rolls Out Third Dispensary In Worth
Author: Lorraine Swanson
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Oak Lawn Patch
Awaiting the delivery of furniture and a final inspection by the state, Windy City Cannabis is aiming for a Thursday or Friday opening at its Worth location at 11425 S. Harlem Ave.
The company has already opened medical marijuana dispensaries in Homewood and Justice. A fourth is slated to open in Posen before the end of the month.
Windy City Cannabis COO Peyton Hurst opened the dispensary for a tour with Worth's elected and police officials. Once Illinois gives the final nod, only patients and their caregivers with a state-issued, medical marijuana ID card will be allowed in the dispensary's inner sanctum.
Founded by former Lincoln Park attorney Steven Weisman, who is the company's CEO, Weisman teamed up with childhood soccer pal Hurst, who manages the daily operations of four locations. Although the dispensary cannot make doctor referrals, Hurst said patients have built up their own network.
"We're noticing that most doctors are very receptive," Hurst said. "Larger healthcare providers have been slower to jump on."
The Worth dispensary, as well as others operated by the company, is heavily cameraed to ensure patients' and employees' security. The waiting room is cozy and inviting, with a friendly dispensary and private consultation room. Behind key-carded doors are offices, employee break room, and an interior loading dock.
The state requires a 1:1 employee-patient ratio, so only one patient at a time can be buzzed into the actual dispensary to pick up his or her product. Medical marijuana consumption is strictly forbidden on the premises.
Hurst explained that patients should expect to pay prices on the higher end for products with names like Alien Jack, Cheese and Chong, and Chicago Blue for awhile until the state's 18 cultivation centers get rolling.The cost for buds averages $20 per gram, $60 for an eighth of an ounce, and up to $400 or more for an counce.
Like all the state's medical marijuana dispensaries, Windy City Cannabis is a cash-only business because marijuana use is against federal law. Most banks and credit card companies are federally regulated.
"We have no control over our pricing," Hurst said. "Only less than half of the cultivation centers have product, but once the crop cycles are completed, supply will outweigh demand and pricing will get friendlier."
Cultivation centers that Windy City Cannabis expects to do business with include Bedford Grow, in Bedford Park, and Cresco Labs, which operates cultivation facilities in Joliet, Kankakee and Springfield.
Patients will also pay sales tax, which in Worth is 2.25 percent on pharmaceutical products. The state distributes about 1 percent of sales revenue back to the municipality.
Inviting a medical marijuana dispensary into the community required a local ordinance to allow the sale of medical marijuana to be sold in Worth. Village board members passed the ordinance unanimously, but not before a lengthy town hall meeting with residents.
Worth Mayor Mary Werner said she was moved by the many video testimonials she watched of patients suffering from chronic pain and other medical conditions discussing how medical marijuana had given them their lives back.
"Eighteen months ago I never gave medical marijuana much thought," Werner said. "The village board spent a lot of time researching it on the Internet. Nobody ever o.d.'ed on marijuana, and nobody ever came up with a list of side effects like what you'd get at CVS."
To be able to purchase medical marijuana, patients and caregivers must apply to the Illinois Department of Public Health and provide documentation from their physicians. The law bars anyone with a felony drug conviction from obtaining a medical marijuana card. When applying, patients will be asked to choose a dispensary.
Staff members receive accredited online training by the Cannabis Training Institute, another budding business in the fast-growing medical cannabis industry.
Windy City Cannabis hopes to do community outreach at local health and vendor fairs. Hours are 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The dispensary is closed on Sunday.
Hurst added as word travels about the dispensaries' opening, Windy City Cannabis is fielding up to 60 calls a day from patients.
"My days are a lot more fun and far more rewarding than what I was doing before," the former hedge fund customer service rep said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Illinois: Medical Marijuana Company Rolls Out Third Dispensary In Worth
Author: Lorraine Swanson
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Oak Lawn Patch
