A marijuana dispensary in downstate Springfield will soon be the first in Illinois to allow on-site pot use.
The Springfield city council on Tuesday approved the dispensary, Illinois Supply & Provisions, request to open a cannabis consumption area, the shop said in a news release. It’s the first time a municipality has approved on-site consumption in Illinois.
“With stringent public consumption laws in place, it’s important to have designated areas where people can consume cannabis legally and safely,” IS&P Regional Director Kathleen Olivastro said.
An opening date for IS&P’s consumption area has yet to be determined, but it will be separate space in the same building as its downtown Springfield location at 7th and Adams streets. The concept will be developed over the next several months.
“We will be thoughtful in how we create this experience just as we have done at the dispensary level,” Olivastro said. “We’ve already started to redefine the cannabis retail experience with our customers and know an experience like this will be greatly anticipated.”
Public pot use is still prohibited — including on the street, in parks, bars, restaurants and at a host of downtown hotels — so consumption sites would allow those whose landlords prohibit use, tourists or others to use legal cannabis without reprimand.
Under the Smoke Free Illinois Act, the only public places where cities can allow weed use are pot dispensaries or smoke shops that make more than 80 percent of their revenue from tobacco sales.
In Chicago, plans to create licensed places for on-site cannabis use recently stalled when Mayor Lori Lightfoot called off a vote on a proposed ordinance that would have allowed use at tobacco shops. Some aldermen said the state’s restrictions made the businesses unlikely to turn a profit.
“We continue to receive helpful feedback on our proposed consumption ordinance,” mayoral press secretary Anel Ruiz said at the time. “In order to take that into account, we have opted for a short delay in moving our proposed ordinance forward.”
