Cannabis dispensary company eyes Old Orchard for new location

Samantha Handler, City Editor

The Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday that a recreational cannabis dispensary may move in to the Westfield Old Orchard mall in Skokie.

The cannabis dispensary company Greenhouse Group has submitted a proposal to operate the first recreational dispensary in Skokie, though the village has not formally approved the plan. Skokie spokesperson Ann Tennes told the Tribune that the site at Old Orchard meets the village’s zoning laws.

Greenhouse Group also operates dispensaries around Illinois, including in Deerfield, Mokena, Litchfield and Morris.

“It’s a pretty high profile location,” Greenhouse Group chief operating officer Mitch Kahn told the Tribune of the Skokie location. “We think it’s going to be a great way to serve a lot of customers.”

Evanston is still in its process of setting rules and regulations ahead of the legalization of recreational cannabis on Jan. 1. The city’s Plan Commission has come up with zoning requirements for recreational dispensaries, and aldermen last week codified the legalization in City Code.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, aldermen will vote on a seven percent tax that applies to “cultivators, craft growers or processors” who sell to dispensaries, and a cannabis purchaser excise tax amounting to 10 percent on raw cannabis, 20 percent on cannabis-infused products and 25 percent on raw cannabis with THC above 35 percent.

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