Deerfield marijuana dispensary opening in December
A Deerfield medical marijuana dispensary will open its doors to the public before its official opening next month to help patients sign up for a state-issued registry identification card.
Greenhouse Medical Cannabis Dispensary, 151 S. Pfingsten Road, will host a sneak preview and wellness fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 12.
Spokeswoman Shelley Saffrin said the open house will take place two days before the dispensary receives its state-required inspection and medical marijuana distribution license. After receiving the license, the facility can let in only people with the state-issued marijuana license.
"We will not be selling any product during the open house," Saffrin said. "This is part of an open house where people can get information on other holistic medicine vendors. We're about medicine and patients, and we really are all about helping people."
She said more than 20 health and wellness experts from the North Shore will be on hand Dec. 12 to showcase products and services during the open house. Yoga instruction, blood pressure testing and other vendors will be on hand during the event.
She said there also will be food, beverages, raffle prizes and other activities planned for the day.
"We are committed to improving the quality of life for our patients," said Greenhouse President Matt Darin.
Medical marijuana legally went on sale this month in eight Illinois towns, including Mundelein, North Aurora, Addison and Schaumburg, officials say. As many as 25 dispensaries are expected to open by the end of the year, including in Deerfield and Buffalo Grove.
Only the 3,000 or so patients with state-issued ID cards are able to purchase marijuana from the dispensaries. Patients are required to have an ID card and a designated dispensary on file with the Illinois Department of Public Health before they can enter a medical marijuana facility and make a purchase.
Illinois is among 23 states with medical marijuana programs.