Morris changes ordinance to allow second cannabis dispensary

The Morris City Council unanimously made the preliminary move to allow a second dispensary in Morris after NuEra – a company with dispensaries in Chicago, East Peoria, Urbana, Pekin and Champaign – showed interest.

Morris Mayor Chris Brown said this is a preliminary step that will allow dispensaries wishing to open in Morris the chance to go through the state of Illinois permitting process.

NuEra operator Joe Phillips was at the Planning Commission meeting Jan. 31 to share his request. He said he wants to open another dispensary at 50 Gore Road, which currently is the home of an adult entertainment store. He said the state of Illinois is going to be renewing licenses and issuing new licenses.

It’s typical for meetings featuring items about cannabis on the agenda to draw a crowd, but this meeting only drew one dissenter.

“I’m shocked,” Brown said. “I thought there’d be a few more people, but from what I understand, there wasn’t many about both the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting or Planning Commission meeting.”

Brown said this move is preliminary: Anyone wishing to open a dispensary can apply, but they’ll need to go through the state’s permitting process.

The opinion of Rick Barnard, a retired pastor and substitute teacher, was the only one shared during the public commenting period. He came out in opposition because he believes marijuana is addictive, and he already was against having the first Curaleaf dispensary on Route 6 in the first place.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, 10% of cannabis users may become addicted, which is less than 17% of adults who report some form of binge drinking and alcohol addiction.

“It’s legal,” Brown said. “Do I start limiting liquor stores? That’s what we’ve come to. That ship’s already sailed down in Springfield. I think there’s opportunity for revenue, and I think we can look for ways to increase our general budget in some instances, and I think we have to look at everything possible.”

Police Chief Alicia Steffes said there hasn’t been any problems with Curaleaf, and the state’s regulations on security and processes haven’t caused any issues for the police. There hasn’t been any uptick of issues.

The Morris City Council also approved a conditional-use permit for Green Card Veterans of McHenry County and Redemption Botanicals Group to create an adult-use cannabis craft growing facility at 3707 N. Division St. in Morris.