One Chicago suburb intends to bring cannabis convenience to the medical marijuana community by allowing local dispensaries to operate with drive-thru windows.
With the legalization of medical marijuana in Illinois officially set to get underway at the first of the year, the city council in Naperville has approved the majority of the city’s regulations for dispensaries and cultivation centers that -- after much debate -- will even include fast weed clinics.
While individual communities are not permitted to exclude these types of facilities, they can override the state’s rules and implement stricter zoning regulations that limit a dispensary’s ability to do business in close proximity to homes and schools.
The Naperville City Council says it will allow dispensaries to open in a few retail locations outside of the downtown area, but a hearing will be required before the facilities receive final approval. The council also included the provision that the facilities will not be permitted to operate within 250 feet of residential areas.
Dispensaries that wish to operate in industrial areas will not be obligated to a hearing process, but all cultivation centers will be limited to industrial areas and be required to attend a hearing.
While there was considerable controversy regarding the drive-thru facilities, Councilman Paul Hinterlong argued that some medical marijuana patients would require the added accessibility when obtaining medication.
"There's people that will have certain issues that will make it difficult for them to get out and walk in," he said.
In the end, the City Council approved the new regulations in a vote of 8-0
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