Recreational marijuana debate comes to Elk Grove Village
The debate about whether to allow local recreational marijuana sales has finally made it to Elk Grove Village, where elected officials Tuesday held their first spirited back-and-forth on the topic.
Suburban elected officials have been having those debates since June 2019, when Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the state legislature legalized recreational pot sales. Elk Grove took a wait-and-see approach until asking voters for their views in a November 2020 advisory referendum.
By a nearly 2-to-1 ratio, voters said the village should authorize the sale of recreational marijuana within guidelines established by the village and state.
Trustee Jeff Franke said the referendum outcome is why he favors allowing recreational sales.
"You don't have to vote for it, but you should explain to 63% of residents why you're going against it if you're going to vote no," Franke told other trustees during a judiciary, planning and zoning committee meeting Tuesday afternoon. "You shouldn't be bringing in your own personal thoughts on this or your personal religion or your personal things, because we went out and asked the residents. We didn't just talk about it. We put it on the ballot and we asked them and they came back and told us. So if you want to go against it, that's up to you."
Trustee Pat Feichter cautioned that the referendum was merely advisory, and village trustees don't have to follow that direction. While saying he hasn't made a final decision, Feichter sought additional research about health and addiction problems that could result from recreational marijuana use.
He also wants experts to testify before the three-member committee, which is a subset of the larger seven-member village board.
"We had a trustee that passed away that used to say a statesman is not one that votes for what is popular - that's a politician," said Feichter, quoting a favorite refrain of recently deceased Trustee Jim Petri. "A statesman votes for what they think is best for the community."
Saying she was playing devil's advocate, Trustee Chris Prochno, who chairs the committee, asked whether the village would be creating a conflict of interest in approving pot sales in light of its Elk Grove Village Cares program, which helps arrange treatment for addiction.
But Franke noted the presence of a 12,000-square-foot medical marijuana cultivation facility within the business park since 2016, liquor stores, and proliferation of video gambling terminals.
"We're growing marijuana, and we're getting the tax benefits from it. We sell alcohol all over the place and people have an addiction to alcohol. We have these pop-up casinos all over the place and people have a gambling problem addiction," Franke said. "We use that money to fund concerts. We could use this money to fund a lot of things."
The committee Tuesday reviewed draft zoning regulations developed by the village staff pertaining to prospective pot dispensaries - should trustees decide to allow them. The panel is expected to have another discussion before issuing a recommendation to the full village board.