Village still mulling over marijuana-based businesses

Shorewood officials sought a second round of public opinion whether the village should permit marijuana-based businesses.

But while more than 50 people attended a meeting on the issue last month, only five came to the Dec. 10 meeting.

All of the attendees who spoke were in support of making cannabis available.

On Jan. 1, licensed dispensaries will be able to sell marijuana and other products to adults. About two-thirds of the first meeting’s attendees also support allowing cannabis sales.

“We’ll make a decision in January or February...to opt in or opt out. But I will say to everyone, we don’t have anybody knocking on our door right now to build a facility in Shorewood,” Mayor Rick Chapman said.

Resident Matt Persicketti said all Shorewood residents will benefit from the tax dollars a dispensary would produce.

The village could implement up to a three-percent tax on cannabis sales.

“To me this is a very simple decision. You’re not going to decide (whether or not) people smoke pot. You’re deciding whether those that do spend their money here,” Persicketti said.

Persicketti noted while several residents at the last meeting emphasized concerns about marijuana and youth in the community, dispensaries can be easily compared to liquor stores, which ban minors.

“We want to make our village inviting to everyone,” resident Cynthia DeRobertis said. “Going into dispensaries is not something I frequently do, but I went into one in Colorado and it was just like a (regular) business.”

Chapman said regulating recreational marijuana sales is a “pragmatic reduction of harm” and monitoring what Drugs are sold is safer that street sales. “You can’t (be sure) that someone didn’t drop angel dust on your joint and put you on the highway to hallucinations,” Chapman said.

Trustee C.C. Debold also supports allowing cannabis sales.

“I think the United States as a whole is moving in this direction and it’s an opportunity for us to get in front of it with the tax revenue,” he said. “And the people who smoke it here will get the munchies and eat at our restaurants,” Chapman said.