Robert Celt
New Member
A new medical marijuana dispensary is poised to open this week in Justice.
Windy City Cannabis is planning a grand opening for 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, at its second south suburban dispensary at 8340 S. Roberts Rd., Justice.
A dispensary opened Jan. 4 in Homewood, and two more Windy City Cannabis locations in Worth and Posen are expected to open before the end of this month. Each dispensary is accessible only to registered patients and caregivers, as required by state law.
The Justice dispensary is still preparing its menu for opening day and will list new items as they are added. The dispensary plans to carry variety of flowers, the hairy, leafy, crystal-covered bits that are harvested to be used as medicine, including Alien Jack, Cheese and Chong and Chicago Blue Dream, to name a few. Windy City Cannabis will also stock edibles.
Prices will vary by weight, but news reports indicate Illinois medical marijuana patients are paying $5 to $20 per gram for buds; $20 to $60 for an eighth of an ounce ($20 to $60); and $200 to $400 per ounce, according to The Cannabist. Medical marijuana is not covered by health insurance.
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.
The state has so far approved 39 medical conditions eligible for medical marijuana, such as cancer, spinal cord injuries, Tourette's Syndrome and childhood epilepsy. Patients with documentation may purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana every 14 days from licensed dispensaries.
Windy City Cannabis was founded by Steven Weisman, 29, a former attorney from Lincoln Park, who is the company's CEO. After practicing law for a few years with a downtown Chicago law firm and working in mergers and acquisitions, Weisman went back to business school to earn his MBA.
He says he became interested in medical marijuana when he visited a friend's dispensary in California.
"I saw his books and talked to him about business," Weisman said. "It was a good business model."
When the opportunity arose to apply for one of the state's coveted dispensary licenses, Weisman left business school and set his sights on Chicago's south and southwest suburbs.
"I never had any firsthand experience with the medical benefits of marijuana," Weisman said. "When you see a patient in pain or who is unable to sleep and now be able to do those things, you can't help but become an advocate."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the actual marijuana plant as a medicine, but scientific studies of the chemicals in marijuana, called cannabinoids, or CBD, have led to two FDA-approved medications that contain cannabinoid chemicals in pill form, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
The FDA hasn't approved the plant in its untreated form because not enough large-scale clinical studies have been conducted to determine the benefits and risks of medical marijuana. Anecdotal evidence of the plant's benefits is promising, if not overwhelming.
Some physicians, however, are still reluctant or just plain don't want to get involved with prescribing medical marijuana to their patients. Weisman said for doctors not to listen to their patients who ask to be put on medical marijuana is tantamount to malpractice.
"I tell [patients] don't ask. Tell them to sign the form or you're going to find another doctor. Doctors don't to lose a patient," Weisman said. "A doctor who would put you on an opiate pill instead of something that overwhelming evidence says works is not performing his duty."
The four Windy City Cannabis locations will serve patients in Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Lemont, Lyons, Orland, Palos, Rich, Stickney, Thornton and Worth townships, as well as the city.
"Our dispensaries are available to anybody who has a card, so long as they select us," Weisman said.
Hours for the Justice location 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.
Patients and caregivers can apply online for a medical marijuana ID card through the Illinois Department of Public Health.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Windy City Cannabis Set To Open Medical Marijuana Dispensary In Justice
Author: Lorraine Swanson
Photo Credit: Patch Staff
Website: Oak Lawn Patch
Windy City Cannabis is planning a grand opening for 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, at its second south suburban dispensary at 8340 S. Roberts Rd., Justice.
A dispensary opened Jan. 4 in Homewood, and two more Windy City Cannabis locations in Worth and Posen are expected to open before the end of this month. Each dispensary is accessible only to registered patients and caregivers, as required by state law.
The Justice dispensary is still preparing its menu for opening day and will list new items as they are added. The dispensary plans to carry variety of flowers, the hairy, leafy, crystal-covered bits that are harvested to be used as medicine, including Alien Jack, Cheese and Chong and Chicago Blue Dream, to name a few. Windy City Cannabis will also stock edibles.
Prices will vary by weight, but news reports indicate Illinois medical marijuana patients are paying $5 to $20 per gram for buds; $20 to $60 for an eighth of an ounce ($20 to $60); and $200 to $400 per ounce, according to The Cannabist. Medical marijuana is not covered by health insurance.
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.
The state has so far approved 39 medical conditions eligible for medical marijuana, such as cancer, spinal cord injuries, Tourette's Syndrome and childhood epilepsy. Patients with documentation may purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana every 14 days from licensed dispensaries.
Windy City Cannabis was founded by Steven Weisman, 29, a former attorney from Lincoln Park, who is the company's CEO. After practicing law for a few years with a downtown Chicago law firm and working in mergers and acquisitions, Weisman went back to business school to earn his MBA.
He says he became interested in medical marijuana when he visited a friend's dispensary in California.
"I saw his books and talked to him about business," Weisman said. "It was a good business model."
When the opportunity arose to apply for one of the state's coveted dispensary licenses, Weisman left business school and set his sights on Chicago's south and southwest suburbs.
"I never had any firsthand experience with the medical benefits of marijuana," Weisman said. "When you see a patient in pain or who is unable to sleep and now be able to do those things, you can't help but become an advocate."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the actual marijuana plant as a medicine, but scientific studies of the chemicals in marijuana, called cannabinoids, or CBD, have led to two FDA-approved medications that contain cannabinoid chemicals in pill form, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
The FDA hasn't approved the plant in its untreated form because not enough large-scale clinical studies have been conducted to determine the benefits and risks of medical marijuana. Anecdotal evidence of the plant's benefits is promising, if not overwhelming.
Some physicians, however, are still reluctant or just plain don't want to get involved with prescribing medical marijuana to their patients. Weisman said for doctors not to listen to their patients who ask to be put on medical marijuana is tantamount to malpractice.
"I tell [patients] don't ask. Tell them to sign the form or you're going to find another doctor. Doctors don't to lose a patient," Weisman said. "A doctor who would put you on an opiate pill instead of something that overwhelming evidence says works is not performing his duty."
The four Windy City Cannabis locations will serve patients in Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Lemont, Lyons, Orland, Palos, Rich, Stickney, Thornton and Worth townships, as well as the city.
"Our dispensaries are available to anybody who has a card, so long as they select us," Weisman said.
Hours for the Justice location 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.
Patients and caregivers can apply online for a medical marijuana ID card through the Illinois Department of Public Health.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Windy City Cannabis Set To Open Medical Marijuana Dispensary In Justice
Author: Lorraine Swanson
Photo Credit: Patch Staff
Website: Oak Lawn Patch
