Roselle extends moratorium on recreational pot sales

Roselle's ban on recreational marijuana businesses will remain in place until at least September.

The village board is considering whether to lift the town's ban on adult-use marijuana businesses, but a final decision is months away. First, the issue will be examined by trustees and members of the planning and zoning commission. Public meetings also will be held.

To give the public time to weigh in, the moratorium has been extended to Sept. 27.

The discussion comes after voters approved two cannabis-related questions on the April ballot.

One of the questions asked if adult-use recreational marijuana sales should be allowed in town. The other asked if Roselle should allow for the "growing, infusion, cultivation, processing, and transporting" of adult-use recreational marijuana.

Both ballot questions were nonbinding, so it's up to village officials to decide if they should allow businesses to operate under Illinois' Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, which made recreational use and possession of marijuana by adults legal across the state.

While municipalities can't ban possession or use of marijuana, they can prohibit its sale in their communities. Roselle's prohibition of adult-use marijuana businesses originally was enacted in December 2019.

If a town permits marijuana sales, it's allowed to place local taxes of up to 3% on the sales.