Columbia Care officials, along with Jefferson Park residents, Thursday celebrated the opening of the first medical marijuana dispensary on the Far Northwest Side. [DNAinfo/Heather Cherone]
JEFFERSON PARK — The first medical marijuana dispensary on the Far Northwest Side opened its doors Thursday morning, giving residents their first glimpse inside the newest store in the Jefferson Park Business District.
But now that a ceremonial ribbon has been cut with an oversized pair of scissors, Columbia Care CEO Nicholas Vita hopes most people pass by the store behind the gleaming silver facade with security cameras prominently displayed on the building's front without a second thought.
"This is just another business," Vita said. "There is always controversy with something new, but I hope they forget about us over time. Unless, of course, they need to access medicine."
Only patients enrolled in the state's database of patients eligible to purchase marijuana for medical reasons will be allowed inside the dispensary. [DNAinfo/Heather Cherone]
The dispensary will open to patients Sept. 6. Before then, tours of the newly renovated storefront will take place from noon to 7 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, company officials said. No marijuana will be present, officials said.
When the dispensary was first proposed nearly two years ago, it was criticized by some Jefferson Park residents who said they feared it would increase crime, decrease property values and endanger children using the playgrounds at Jefferson Park Memorial Park and Wilson Park as well as the Jefferson Park library.
Others, however, said the dispensary would provide a valuable service that would help people suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer and glaucoma who have a doctor's prescription for marijuana and be registered in the state-administered program.
The dispensary is separated from Ald. John Arena's 45th Ward office by one storefront. The alderman has vowed to keep a close eye on its operations.
"Our operations aren't going to provide anyone with anything more than a big yawn," Vita said, who was flanked by a Owen Brugh, Arena's chief of staff, and Jefferson Park Police District Cmdr. Bill Looney during the ribbon cutting.
A waiting area in the Columbia Care dispensary is designed to provide privacy for patients. [DNAinfo/Heather Cherone]
The dispensary near Milwaukee and Lawrence avenues will initially be open from 1-6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with between four and six employees on duty. Once it opens, only patients enrolled in the state's database of patients eligible to purchase marijuana for medical reasons will be allowed pass two sets of locked doors.
Several strains of cannabis will be available for purchase, including edible products and concentrates. Eventually, the dispensary will also offer tinctures, concentrates designed to be vaporized and capsules designed to be swallowed, company officials said.
The dispensary will be protected by a "robust" and "redundant" security system 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Vita said.
All deliveries will be made through a secure rear entrance, Vita said.
"We are excited to be in Jefferson Park," Vita said. "We don't want there to be any unintended consequences. We want to prove everybody who said this would work right."
The dispensary will be open from 1-6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday starting Sept. 6. [DNAinfo/Heather Cherone]
Columbia Care plans to donate a percentage of the dispensary's net income to local organizations and nonprofits, but those groups had not been selected, Vita said.
Those decisions will be made based on the recommendation of the alderman and community leaders, he added.
Chicago has medical marijuana dispensaries in Logan Square, Uptown and Garfield Ridge. The Columbia Care dispensary in Jefferson Park will be the first to open on the Far Northwest Side, and the fourth in the city.
Another medical marijuana dispensary has the permission of state and city officials to open near Milwaukee and Devon avenues.
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