Jan. 20--Medical marijuana dispensary owners in Chicago would be spared the requirement of hiring security guards to be on-site around the clock in a move aldermen framed as a way to help drive down costs.
The City Council Finance Committee approved the amendment Wednesday, paving the way for the full council to vote next month on the plan to require guards at the dispensaries only when they're open for business.
Sponsor Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, said since the dispensaries opened last year, they haven't made as much money as some thought they would.
"The industry has, as you might expect, not been as successful as was originally anticipated," Burke said. "And this would hopefully reduce some of the burden on the operators without interfering with what our intent originally was, and that was to make sure there's security on premises during the time they're operating."
Medical marijuana advocates have mounted a petition drive to try to persuade Gov. Bruce Rauner to greatly expand the program, a campaign driven in part by industry officials who say the businesses won't survive without more than the current 4,000 patients statewide.
Rauner has not given indication he will consider making more medical conditions eligible for the trial program. The governor has until Feb. 1 to render a decision on eight qualifying medical conditions recommended by the state Medical Cannabis Advisory Board, according to advocates. Previously, Rauner vetoed bills to expand the trial program and to decriminalize marijuana in general, instead calling for more conservative steps.
Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, voted against the amendment, saying residents in his ward have been pushing hard for the strongest possible security rules for a dispensary planned for the area.
jebyrne@tribpub.com
