Peeking inside Rolling Meadows' new medical marijuana dispensary
Patients walking into Nature's Care in Rolling Meadows won't see shelves full of cannabis or pictures of marijuana leaves on the wall. In fact, they won't see the drug anywhere at all.
At an open house on Tuesday in advance of the dispensary's planned opening in the next few weeks, officials showed the community just how tight security will be and how the process will work for patients with permission to buy medical marijuana.
"We're very unlike other states in that you are not going to see jars full of bud on the counter," said Mitch Meyers, director of Nature's Care, 975 Rohlwing Road.
Patients must show their driver's license and state-issued permit to buy medical marijuana. While waiting they can relax in a well-lit room with walls painted in soothing gray and green tones, page through a cookbook with marijuana recipes or talk with other clients.
Next, they'll talk with a specialist about their specific diagnosis, look at photos and empty packaging to figure out which kind of cannabis is right for them and determine whether they want to smoke it or eat it - in cookies or gummy candies.
After clients pay, the drug will be dispensed from a secure vault, in a childproof bag.
A security team keeps an eye on every square inch of the place, using 40 cameras in and around the building.
City officials, police, residents and future patients came to Tuesday's open house to see the new dispensary. Once it opens for business, only patients with permits from the state will be allowed inside.
"I was just curious what it would be like inside here," said Pat Masek of Hoffman Estates. "My mother died from cancer a number of years back and when I saw what she went through with pain I was like, 'We've got to make some changes.'
"I'm so glad this is starting in Illinois. This looks like a place where anybody can come in and feel comfortable."
Joanne and Carl Lund of Arlington Heights said they were impressed by the facility.
"It's delightful to see what's going on in here and how well regulated it is," Joanne Lund said. She pointed to her husband's hand, with its visible signs of severe arthritis, and said maybe he would apply for a medical marijuana permit.
"If it could help him, that would be great," she said.
Cultivation centers from East St. Louis to Chicago were on hand to talk about their products. They showed empty packages with colorful names for different marijuana strains - "purple urkle," "ghost train haze" and others.
Nature's Care hours will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Nature's Care was originally licensed to open in Palatine, but the village council rejected the company's location plans.
Palatine resident David Murphy came to the open house to get some questions answered. He hopes he can get a medical marijuana card to help treat his chronic pain.
"It was a little disappointing that Palatine wouldn't allow this," Murphy said. "Look around - this isn't a crack house; it's a nice place and if it can help people, I'm all for it."