Cannabis transportation firm seeks headquarters in Schaumburg

Schaumburg trustees Tuesday will consider approval of a different kind of cannabis business - one that would transport it for other licensed businesses.

The prospective owners of Hands to Heart LLC are seeking a special-use permit from the village to operate from a 722-square-foot office space at 2385 Hammond Drive, Unit 9. There would be no marijuana at the office, according to the proposal.

The transportation business would not count toward the village's limit of five cannabis dispensaries, of which there are already three. But it would be the first in a different category that includes cultivators, craft growers and transporters, which also carries a limit of five.

"We kind of had to rethink this one because there is no cannabis on site," Schaumburg Community Planner Marisa Krawiec said.

The absence of cannabis from the building, for instance, made the ventilation plan that's usually required unnecessary. But the business has to meet the security and anti-theft regulations of the Schaumburg Police Department, she added.

Hands to Heart would start with only one or two unmarked vehicles and those have to adhere to the village's security protocols for cannabis businesses. A state license is also required.

While other cannabis businesses in the village have never testified to their reliance on a licensed transportation firm like this, Hands to Heart did not have to prove in advance that there was a need for its services in the state's fledgling cannabis industry, Krawiec said.

The village's zoning board of appeals voted unanimously earlier this month to recommend approval of the special-use permit.

A craft grower that had previously won approval by the village didn't follow through or open before a different business type filled the space, Krawiec said.