This year brought the signing of a bill highly anticipated by those who suffer from various chronic illnesses. In August, 2013, Gov. Pat Quinn signed the bill which will permit the legal sale of medical Marijuana in Illinois, under some of the strictest guidelines and as a four year pilot program. Chicago already has its first medical Marijuana dispensary clinic in Wicker Park which opened its doors 2 months ago, although sales will not become legal until the first day of 2014.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA DEMAND IN CHICAGO IS OVERWHELMING
The first clinic to set-up shop in Chicago, Good Intentions, has received an overwhelming response to the newly approved bill. According to Huffington Post, they have “received 20,000 requests for care.” Although they are not yet able to legally sell, they can still provide medical Marijuana cards at this time. Surely the demand is there, but if you are planning to open your own dispensary, here are some things you should know.
HOW TO OPEN A MARIJUANA DISPENSARY IN CHICAGO
Now that Illinois has become the 20th state to legalize medicinal Marijuana, you may be interested in opening your own legal Marijuana dispensary in Chicago. Clinics are not the only type of dispensary expected. Your typical smoke shops, known for selling paraphernalia, are of course considering adding medical Marijuana dispensaries to their shops because their current customers are already the customers they would be targeting. But, there will also be new business owners looking to jump on the bandwagon. So, what does this mean for business owners and entrepreneurs?
PR Web made mention of DipensaryPermits.com, a Medical Marijuana Consulting firm, along with some details of how this is going to start to pan out. Dispensary Permits is located in the CBS building in Chicago and is assisting business owners and entrepreneurs by guiding them through the application and licensing process. PR Web quoted Sara Gullickson of Dispensary Permits stating, “I believe the only way patients are going to obtain safe access to quality medicine is through a competitive, merit-based dispensary licensing process in which the most prepared entrepreneurs are selected.” Why is this so important?
With only 60 licenses to be granted statewide, competition is sure to be pretty stiff. The better prepared you are, the better chance you will have of receiving your medical Marijuana dispensary license.
OTHER MARIJUANA DISPENSARY LICENSE FACTORS
Preparedness is not the only factor. Location will also play a part. Since the 60 licenses are to be spread across the state, locations further from Chicago may stand a good chance and experience less competition. According to Susan Hofer of the Illinois Department of Financial Professional Regulation, in order to ensure proper placement of Marijuana dispensaries, the licensing will be timed so as to prevent crowding of locations.
The bottom line is, Marijuana dispensaries are coming to Chicago, and the demand is already very much present. Use the resources available if you are considering opening a medical Marijuana dispensary in order to provide yourself with the best possible chance of obtaining one of the 60 licenses to be issued.
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