Elev815 hosts Q and A session regarding the issue of cannabis licenses in Roscoe

By Jean Seegers
REPORTER
How will the legalization of recreational marijuana affect the Village of Roscoe? The question is becoming more relevant as Jan. 1, 2020, gets closer.
About 25 Elev815 members and their guests gathered at Firehouse Pub in Roscoe, Thursday, Sept.5, to learn more about the benefits as well as the negative consequences of allowing the sale of cannabis in Roscoe.
Village Administrator Scott Sanders and Trustees Tony Keene, Mike Dunn and Carol Gustafson, answered questions and discussed the pros and cons of the upcoming law as it relates to the Village.
“Medical marijuana is already available in Illinois,” Sanders said. “Those 55 medical facilities will each be granted an additional ‘recreational use’ license as soon as Jan. 1, 2020. Seventy- five new recreational licenses will be issued later that year bringing the total to 185 dispensaries combined, state-wide. The rise in places that marijuana can be obtained will lead to people trying out different ways of consuming the plant and maybe some will even attempt to construct a homemade bong, which is actually surprisingly simple to do.
“Winnebago and Boone Counties will be eligible for up to four of these new recreational use licenses,” Sanders went on to say.
According to an Aug. 29, Chicago Tribune report, recreational dispensary licenses will soon be issued to existing medical marijuana license-holders, five are in Illinois: Effingham, Mundelein, Canton, Naperville and Joliet.
Sanders said there are other methods of selling marijuana products, such as edibles and infusions. For instance, Resonant Botanicals crafted a cream to help patients with nerve pain. All over the world, cannabusinesses are adapting their products to meet demand. Moreover, it can also be used in gummies and other candies and infusions such as lotions, tinctures and teas, and juices, and can, of course, be smoked. More and more online sellers of the product are appearing, as it becomes easier than ever to profit off the drug. Some companies have even been formed that offer dispensary consulting to people who run their own online marijuana shops.
Sanders further explained that in addition to the dispensary licenses, the State will be issuing business licenses to cover other aspects of the recreational use industry, including craft (small scale) and commercial growing operations, infusion facilities and regulated transport.
Trustee Gustafson admitted she represents the minority that want the Village to opt out. “Give us your input. Do you support it?” she said. “Do we want to go after the dollars, or be a wholesome family-friendly community?”
Keene offered a different rationale. “We are behind the bedroom community aspect, but people will go to other communities to purchase cannabis products. Roscoe is cash-poor. We need to develop and sustain Roscoe and do what’s practical.”
Dunn said he agrees with his fellow trustee. “Why drive somewhere else if we can offer some type of marijuana shop right here. If we don’t do it, someone else near here will.” Dunn said he would be in favor of locating it in the I-90, Rockton Rd. corridor which offers highway access.
Roscoe businessman Jim Blevins offered his opinion: “From a business prospective, whether we like the idea or not, we are turning a blind eye. It’s going to happen one way or another, anyway,”
“Roscoe has lost a lot of opportunities because we have been afraid to move forward.”
Sam Balsley commented that half the nation has embraced the cannabis issue. “Pot and alcohol are pretty much the same to me,” he said. “Putting a dispensary in the I-90 corridor would be a great opportunity.”
Keene, Gustafson and Dunn agreed they would like to get the pulse of Roscoe constituents regarding how much the community wants to invest in the legal use and distribution of cannabis.
Addiction centers across the country maintain that marijuana changes brain chemistry and is not safe for the average person.
Elev815 spotlights a local business each month. The organization is made up of like-minded individuals committed to supporting area businesses and building better professional relationships. On Oct. 17, they will be meeting at “The Barn at Rockton,” a B&B and wedding destination, west of Rockton.
Find Elev815 on Facebook for more information.