Palatine rejects 2nd medical marijuana dispensary
The Palatine village council rejected a proposal Monday night that would have converted the old Peko Tile building into a medical marijuana dispensary, citing the facility's limited parking spaces, proximity to residents and the effect on property values.
The proposal, brought forward by a company called Nature's Care, is the second medical marijuana dispensary proposal to be rejected by the council.
Maura "Mitch" Meyers, president and co-owner of Nature's Care, said during her presentation to the council that the dispensary, at 310 W. Colfax Road, would allow people suffering from cancer and other debilitating diseases the opportunity to acquire treatment without forcing them to the black market.
Meyers also said the dispensary would create 15 to 18 good paying jobs that would employ qualified, college-educated workers who would be expected to pass random drug tests.
"This will not be a black eye to the community," Meyers said. "In fact, we think it will make the city better by being part of this compassionate program."
Councilman Brad Helms praised Meyers' presentation but said people looking to buy property near a medical marijuana facility wouldn't have the information from Meyer's presentation and might be swayed not to buy based on the negative stigma he said was associated with medical marijuana.
"Your presentation was very good, there certainly is the need (for medical marijuana) but it's about perception." Helms said. "People are always fearing what they don't know and seeing that this is an illegal substance, there is a fear there."
Unlike previous public meetings involving medical marijuana dispensary proposals, the majority of the audience who spoke Monday night were in favor of the dispensary.
At one point the petitioners asked those in support of the proposal to stand, and the majority of the people in the near-capacity room did.
Chuck Cutinello, a Palatine resident, said he would not be afraid walking past the facility.
"I would be much more afraid walking past Durty Nellie's or Lamplighters at 2 in the morning than I would be walking past this place at 2 in the afternoon," Cutinello said, as some members of the crowd laughed.
Cutinello said he has epilepsy but doesn't need medical marijuana. He added if he did he would like to have a dispensary in his village.
Several supporters were affiliated with a group called the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago.
Kurt Florian, the group's president and CEO, said the organization reached out to its members to attend the meeting. Florian said the organization also wrote a letter of recommendation that was included in Nature's Care's proposal to the state for a medical marijuana dispensary license.
In September, the council voted 5-2 against a plan by Northwest Medical Distribution, proposed to convert the building at 400 S. Vermont Road into a similar facility.
On Monday, the council's rejection was unanimous, with five members voting against.
Councilman Greg Solberg, who voted for the other medical marijuana proposal in September, said after he and the other councilmen voted against the proposal that the vote was about land use and not about medical marijuana.
"This doesn't mean that folks here don't want to see that," Solberg said as the large crowd of supporters began to file out of the room. "You could be in favor of what the medical marijuana act is trying to accomplish and still have a problem with the location."