The chief legal officer for the company that wants to open the first adult-use cannabis dispensary in Washington assured city council members Monday that the building will be discreet and safe.
“It will look like a quick-serve restaurant or a normal retail establishment,” said Nico Pento, who was at the council meeting representing Kansas-City based Elevate Cannabis. The company would operate the dispensary as Key Cannabis, its retail arm.
“It won’t be a haven for criminal activity, as some folks would want you to believe,” Pento said. “We’ve never had a robbery at one of our dispensaries. We have more cameras in them than banks, and a security guard. Criminals know that.
“Also, we don’t allow loitering or consumption on-site. If that [consumption] happens, we’ll confiscate the product and give the customer a refund.”
Those were two of Pento’s responses to questions from council members.
Before the question-and-answer session, he gave a brief overview of the proposed Washington dispensary at 2691 Centennial Drive at the intersection of McClugage Road.
Pento said Elevate plans to make a $2 million investment in the 2,800-square-foot dispensary, which would be in a nearly one-acre vacant lot adjacent to the new O’Reilly Auto Parts location.
Listing reasons the location is attractive to his company, Pento noted it’s in a “dispensary desert,” and only one dispensary is allowed in Washington. He said research has shown there’s consumer demand in the Washington area for Elevate’s products, and having one dispensary is the right amount for a community of Washington’s size.
There are three dispensaries in East Peoria, one in Pekin and six in Peoria.
Elevate also has a location in Carbondale, and plans future dispensaries in Illinois in South Elgin and Mt. Zion in addition to Washington. It also has 14 locations in Missouri.
Elevate has applied for a special use so it can open its dispensary in Washington.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the special use this month at its monthly meeting, and city staff also has advocated for approval.
A first reading of the special use approval ordinance will be held at the May 4 council meeting, with a second reading and vote scheduled for May 18.
In response to other questions posed by council members, Pento said products in Elevate dispensaries are kept in a secure vault off the sales floor that is accessible only to employees. He said there are systems in place to make sure a customer does not exceed the daily product limit set by the state.
Pento added that while the Washington dispensary has a license only for recreational cannabis use, medical marijuana card patients can shop there. They just won’t receive the tax breaks.
On the subject of allowing only those who are age 21 and older in their dispensaries, Pento said Elevate takes that state regulation very seriously.
“We could lose our license, our investments and our company,” he said. “Nobody wants that. We have a lot to lose.”
Even though there was no vote on the special-use Monday, four of the eight council members injected their thoughts about their votes.
No council member thought having a dispensary in town would hurt Washington’s reputation as a family-friendly, safe community.
John Blundy said he saw “no compelling reason” to deny the special-use request, while Paula Johnson said her reaction was a hard “no” when she first heard about the proposed dispensary.
During a conversation with Mayor Lilija Stevens, Johnson said, she gave as a reason for her negative reaction something she learned later has nothing to do with a dispensary.
Johnson visited some area dispensaries as part of her due diligence, she said, and found them to be clean, with employees who love their job, love being able to help people who have troubles or pain, and were eager to answer her questions.
She said she didn’t see people lingering.
“Most of the customers I saw were people who look like me,” she said. “I ran into a friend who was buying gummies to help her sleep. She said she was glad to know there could be dispensary in Washington that’s closer to home.
“When my driver’s license was being checked at a dispensary door, I was told it was close to expiring. I wouldn’t have been allowed in there if it had expired. I urge everyone to visit a dispensary before you decide if you like them or not.”
Bobby Martin III said he’s leaning toward approval because of the benefits cannabis has provided for Washington residents he knows who are suffering from serious medical and physical issues including post-traumatic stress disorder.
“This isn’t a moral, ethical or Christian issue,” he said.
A more serious problem, he said, are the unregulated cannabis products being sold at Washington smoke shops and gas stations.
Mike McIntyre, who is “on the fence” on the dispensary question, warned that there’s a perception and reality when it comes to dispensaries.
Four people spoke at Monday’s meeting during public comment, with three opposing the dispensary.
They suggested a different location, warned that the cannabis that’s available today “isn’t your grandmother’s pot,” were concerned that the 21 age limit may not be in place forever, and predicted the sales tax revenue gained from product sales will be offset by additional law enforcement and social costs like therapy needed for users.
Cindy Shuford of Washington advocated for the dispensary. She said her husband Don has been suffering from serious health issues since his 30’s.
As an example, “at one time, Don was 6-foot-2,” she said. “He’s now 5-6 because of spinal compression.”
Don’s now 72, Cindy said, with his pain managed so much by cannabis and without the use of addictive opioids that he regularly walks around the city.
“He sees five specialists,” she said. “They said his lungs haven’t gotten worse since he started smoking marijuana.”
So how did the proposed Washington dispensary land on the council’s plate?
Shortly after the state law that allows regulated adult-use cannabis sales passed in Springfield, the council voted 7-1 in late 2019 to allow one cannabis dispensary in the city as a special-use in the C-2 and C-3 zoning districts.
It also approved a 3% sales tax on dispensary products that would be in addition to the city’s 9% sales tax.
The proposed location of the Elevate dispensary in Washington meets all city code requirements, and the area is predominantly commercial.
Those are the major reasons why the Planning and Zoning Commission and city staff recommend approval of the special-use.
If the special-use is approved, the dispensary must adhere to city regulations and state laws, plus other conditions imposed by the city.
The conditions currently include business hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., no outdoor seating area or drive-through service, and signage with “tasteful imagery,” with no graphic depictions of cannabis plants or slang terminology for cannabis.
The signage restriction is mainly in place to make sure the building isn’t attractive to children.
The council can add more restrictions before voting on the special-use.
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