After voter support, Elk Grove Village to examine whether to allow recreational pot sales

Elk Grove Village's elected officials will examine in the new year whether to allow recreational marijuana sales within the town's borders, after voters' advisory recommendation to do so.

Much of the discussion about whether to permit sales, and if so, exactly where, will take place before the village's judiciary, planning and zoning committee, a three-member subset of the larger seven-member village board.

Mayor Craig Johnson said the process could take five to seven months, as the committee receives testimony from advocates on both sides of the issue, and examines research compiled by village staff.

The committee, chaired by Trustee Chris Prochno, would be charged with making a recommendation to the full village board, which ultimately would vote yes or no on allowing pot sales.

"We're not necessarily in a huge hurry to move on this, so we're gonna take the time to look at all sides of the issue," Prochno said.

"No one has actually come to our community yet and asked to have a site to sell, so we're not under the gun to do this. We're gonna take the time to look at the issue correctly."

The meetings, which could begin as early as January, would be open to the public.

In the Nov. 3 advisory referendum, voters by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio said the village should authorize the sale of recreational marijuana within guidelines established by the village and state: 10,626 were in favor and 6,134 were against.

Johnson has said one reason he wanted voter input was to gauge whether residents believe legal sales would be seen as contradictory to the mission of Elk Grove Village Cares, a village program that helps arrange treatment for those battling substance addiction.

And while still harboring a dilemma about marijuana dispensaries in town, Johnson after the election called the referendum results "loud and clear."

While it doesn't have any dispensaries, the village has hosted a 12,000-square-foot medical marijuana cultivation facility within the business park since 2016.

In another advisory referendum, voters by more than two-thirds favored limits on the number of video gambling locations in town.

As local gambling commissioner, Johnson said he plans to propose various options for the board to consider during the next month or two. There's some two dozen video gambling locations in town.

• Daily Herald staff writer Eric Peterson contributed to this report.