These are the metro-east towns that will allow legal marijuana sales — and which won’t
With the legalization of recreational cannabis use looming, you may be wondering how your local municipality is preparing or if a dispensary will be moving into town.
Here’s a quick look at what’s happening so far across the metro-east:
Belleville
Belleville’s City Council decided to allow cannabis businesses in the city and recently gave unanimous approval to zoning code changes that allow marijuana dispensaries in either commercial or industrial districts.
Cannabis growers would be allowed to grow in industrial districts.
Mayor Mark Eckert said no one has applied to open a dispensary in Belleville but city officials have received inquiries from distributors who are considering Belleville as a destination.
Edwardsville
Edwardsville’s city council voted unanimously to allow marijuana businesses into the city in November but restricted those businesses to properties specifically zoned for commercial, business and light manufacturing.
“Individuals that will want to acquire a license from the state of Illinois will have all that they need to do business here in Edwardsville,” said Mayor Hal Patton.
However, the decision didn’t come easily. The council was originally split on the decision to allow sales within the city but due to the several restrictions that were laid out before the board, a unanimous decision was reached.
“Tonight you saw a unanimous decision on these locations, because even those that opposed it were happy with the restrictions that were put in the ordinance to minimize the locations,” Patton said. “We don’t want to see 15, 20 dispensaries. Realistically, one or two.”
As of now, no dispensaries have been approved in Edwardsville and the entire metro-east, in the first year of legalization, will only be allowed four in total.
Collinsville
Collinsville currently is the only city in the metro-east with a licensed dispensary with the only others a hours-long drive away. Illinois Supply & Provisions, located at 1014 Eastport Drive and formerly known as HCI Alternatives, sells medical marijuana and has for more than a year in Collinsville. The dispensary recently received permission to sell recreational cannabis.
There could be as much $20-25 million in cannabis sales at Illinois Supply & Provisions, according to city estimates.
Earlier in 2019, Collinsville set a 3% tax rate on marijuana sales on top of the cities existing sales taxes. The city expects the taxes to bring in $1 million to $1.3 million in new tax dollars to the city.
The city approved zoning codes for cannabis-related businesses at a meeting in November, taking the final step toward allowing recreational sales and other cannabis-related businesses in the city.
East St. Louis
East St. Louis voted to allow cannabis sales within city limits in September and added a medical cannabis privilege tax and a municipal cannabis retailers occupation tax.
Highland
In Highland, the question of whether recreational cannabis will be allowed to be sold in Highland has made for several busy city council meetings. Proponents and opponents have voiced their opinions at recent council meetings after the council originally approved an ordinance allowing dispensaries.
At its most recent meeting, however, the Highland City Council voted unanimously to send the questions to voters in the upcoming March primary through a referendum on whether sales should be allowed in city limits.
By law, any such referendum can be advisory only, meaning the council can still decide in opposition to the will over the voters. For the time being the original ordinance is active.
Fairview Heights
Fairview Heights City Council voted 7-3 to allow cannabis-related businesses’ operation inside city limits earlier this month.
In the end, there was little discussion about allowing cannabis sales, growth and otherwise due to the likely windfall of new tax revenues that could come from sales.
“Personally, I’m not a fan of it,” Ward II Alderman Anthony LeFlore told St. Louis Public Radio. “It’s legal at the state level. You got an opportunity to earn some money for the city, so why not?”
Mayor Mark Kupsky called it a “tough decision to make” because of the city’s conservative lean.
“There are mixed opinions about it,” he said. “Our elected officials try to look at every revenue opportunity that could affect the city good and bad.”
O’Fallon
O’Fallon voters also will see a referendum after the city council banned the sale of recreational cannabis or cannabis-related businesses from inside the city, declaring it a “public nuisance.”
The ordinance said banning the sales would protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens, and that the city has determined cannabis business establishments would present adverse impacts.
It is the first and only city in the metro-east so far to ban sales outright.
Voters will be asked their opinion on allowing sales within the city in an advisory referendum during the March 1 primary election, however.
“We want to hear from citizens,” said Mayor Herb Roach
St. Clair County
In unincorporated areas of St. Clair County, any type of cannabis-related businesses will be allowed as long as the business owner receives a special use permit from the county zoning board. Here are the qualifications for receiving them.
If the business received a special use permit, it would also be subject to the county’s tax rate on cannabis, which will go on top of the states tax rate and, if located inside one, the municipalities.
Madison County
The Madison County Board voted against allowing the sale, growth or otherwise of cannabis in unincorporated areas of the county. That doesn’t mean cities like Edwardsville and Collinsville aren’t allowed to have cannabis-related businesses, though.
Even with its decision to not allow sales in its unincorporated areas, Madison County can still benefit from the sale of legalized marijuana throughout the area and state. When communities opt-out of allowing dispensaries and other marijuana businesses in town, they do lose some tax revenue but still receive law enforcement money collected through the state’s tax on sales.
Clinton County
In Clinton County, the county board voted to prohibit sales of cannabis in unincorporated parts of the county. That ban, however, does not prohibit cities and villages from allowing sales because of state law that allows independent municipalities to make their own decision.
“We’re not prohibiting use, we’re not prohibiting possession, we’re not prohibiting somebody growing their own — we’re only prohibiting the sale, and then the cultivation for sale,” Board member Dennis Middendorff told The Breese Journal.
Reporter Mike Koziatek contributed to this article.
This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 5:00 AM.