CHICAGO — A Chicago strip club owner will be able to open a West Loop medical marijuana dispensary after the state approved his proposal Friday.
In a news release, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced that Custom Strains could "acquire medical cannabis from a registered cultivation center for the purpose of dispensing cannabis, paraphernalia, or related supplies and educational materials to registered qualifying patients."
Records show that businessman Perry Mandera's application to operate the dispensary in a vacant building at 1105 W. Fulton St. was one of two top-scoring proposals in the city's West Township district.
Mandera, who owns VIP's, a Gentlemen's Club on the Near North Side, has also applied to operate two cultivation centers in the state, but those have yet to be approved.
Mandera has said his West Loop dispensary would aim to cater to military veterans and other licensed patients in need of care.
"I am a military veteran that has seen family and friends suffer from ALS, cancer and other ailments where the pain could have been alleviated by medical marijuana," Mandera said. "I look forward to working with the community to make sure that our medical facility becomes a good neighbor and important part of the community fabric."
The state plans on granting 60 dispensary licenses, 13 of which will be located in Chicago. In Friday's news release, the state also announced the approval of a dispensery in Jefferson Park called Curative Health.
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