MCKINLEY PARK — It seems the neighborhood doesn't want a medical marijuana dispensary in its backyard.
That much was clear when a company hoping to open one in a strip mall at 3170 S. Ashland Ave. walked into a hornets' nest of residents armed with pointed comments and concerns Thursday night in the basement of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Welcomed by Ald. George Cardenas (12th), a team from Illinois-based Columbia Care tried its best to convince some two dozen people that a medical marijuana dispensary would only enhance the neighborhood and help people who suffer from various ailments, such as chronic pain and epilepsy.
Nicolas Vita, Columbia Care's CEO and a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs, was soon overwhelmed by attacks and pointed comments from the audience.
At one point, an elderly attendee accused the company of greed, yelling, "Shame on you! Shame on you!"
Angelo Demitor, a 56-year-old lifelong McKinley Park resident, was one of the first to pipe up. He claimed the dispensary would attract more "junkies" and trouble to the neighborhood and contribute to a societal train wreck.
"Remember the movie 'Cheech and Chong: Up In Smoke'?” Demitor said. "That’s all I gotta say."
Vita plugged away, using a microphone to project his company's qualifications to the room.
Columbia Care, a private company that also operates dispensaries in Washington, D.C., Arizona and Massachusetts, was one of 60 applicants to be awarded a medical marijuana license by the State of Illinois. They plan to use that license to open a dispensary in Jefferson Park.
If approved by community, the company would apply to open the dispensary in McKinley Park. Illinois has yet to award three remaining licenses — in DeKalb, Kankakee and South Chicago Township.
Vita said it's the company's common practice to visit with the community to gauge residents' opinions on having a dispensary in the neighborhood.
"We’ve never gone into a city where we haven’t been welcome," Vita said, adding that his company provides a valuable service and an alternative to addictive opioids often prescribed to patients suffering from cancer and chronic pain.
But the audience seemed more concerned that dispensary might attract more crime to the area, create terrible traffic jams and destroy the property values in a community where real estate has steadily rebounded.
Patsy Scialabba, 59, said she fears geriatric patients would be in danger if they have to park blocks away from the awkwardly located strip mall, which sits next to I-55 on-ramp across the street from Mariano's.
“They’re going to get hit over the head and have their drugs taken," she said.
Noting the audience's concern, Cardenas made a suggestion to the Columbia Care team: Next time, come prepared with data and research that better shows why there should be a dispensary in McKinley Park.
"You’re not bringing any data that tells us who is being helped and if they’re getting better," said Cardenas, who has publicly stated he is against the legalization of drugs. "Who are we helping here?"
Going forward, Columbia Care attorney Sam Dorf said the company will come to the next community meeting with a better presentation.
That next meeting has yet to be scheduled.
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