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Council committee approves medical-marijuana facility rules

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The City Council Zoning Committee on Thursday advanced watered-down regulations governing Chicago medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation centers set to open under the state’s nascent medical-marijuana law.

Committee Chairman Danny Solis (25th) and Alderman Ed Burke (14th) sponsored the ordinance, which would require operators of such facilities to hire 24-hour security guards, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The legislation also requires facility operators to keep their products out of view of people on sidewalks or on private or public right-of-ways.

An earlier version of the ordinance would have required medical marijuana to be delivered to and transported from loading areas out of sight from the public. The measure’s sponsors ultimately dropped that provision after deciding it would be unduly burdensome to the businesses.

Because medical marijuana is illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act, many banking institutions – which are regulated by the federal government – refuse to accept deposits from medical marijuana businesses. Consequently, medical marijuana is often an “all-cash” business that poses “unique and serious safety concerns,” Burke explained during Thursday’s hearing.

According to DNAinfo Chicago, Burke stated that 317 burglaries and seven robberies have taken place at Denver’s 700 “licensed marijuana stores” in the past two years. Additionally, he cited a story in which the owner of a lucrative California marijuana dispensary was tortured by robbers who were attempting to locate a suspected cash stockpile.

United in Peace Inc. community group President Wallace "Gator" Bradley, who spoke in support of the regulations during Thursday's hearing, said he is glad Burke and Solis have been proactive in dealing with public-safety issues related to the facilities.

"I think what happened in Colorado is pretty much a blessing for the city of Chicago because you know what to expect so you know to prepare for the inevitable," he told the Daily Whale.

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(Pixabay.com)