Another first in a newly legalized business
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
A Springfield marijuana dispensary is the first in the state to get approval to open a spot for people to smoke weed.
Illinois Supply and Provisions plans to connect the space to its marijuana shop in downtown Springfield. The company is still working on the concept and has not set an opening date.
“It’s going to be more than just a big open room where people can smoke cannabis,” said spokesman Chris McCloud. “It’s going to be well done, it’s going to be tastefully done, and it’s going to be an experience.”
Springfield’s city council approved the company’s request Monday night to open the space.
* SJ-R…
Chris Stone, a policy advisor for HCI’s parent company, Ascend Wellness, said on-site consumption could be ready as soon as April. He said the hope is for the operation to serve as a model for future lounges across the state, though acknowledged that it’s very much a “beta test” since the concept has never been tried before in Illinois.
“It’s uncharted territory right now as to what we’re doing, so we’re trying to figure that out and hopefully we can figure that out in the next three to four months and, once again, develop the model by which other lounges are going to be looking to do the same thing,” Stone said.
The state law, which gave people 21 and older the ability to legally possess, use and buy recreational cannabis in Illinois on Jan. 1, also allows on-site consumption at dispensaries, though it also gives municipalities the right to ban on-site consumption. […]
“I think having this lounge there gives people who want to smoke still, which I don’t how many people even do that anymore, but gives them an opportunity to consume what is a legal product in the state of Illinois,” said Ward 8 Ald. Erin Conley, who noted that it could be a prime location for downtown hotel guests to consume the product.
Yep. It’s easy walking distance to the two big downtown hotels and several popular restaurants and taverns.
* A photo from Google Maps…
It has a four-story atrium.
* Related…
* A Tale Of Two Markets: How Illinois Succeeded In Rollout Of Adult-Use Cannabis And Why Massachusetts Floundered
* Weeks into legal marijuana, some south suburban police departments have ‘more questions than answers’ on enforcement: The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police contends that someone 21 or older who is simply walking around with a plastic bag of pot, provided it’s an ounce or less, is in the clear.
- welp ok - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 10:25 am:
Cigars for Aficionados on N. Grand should get in on this!
- Bertrum Cates - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 10:28 am:
= Cigars for Aficionados on N. Grand should get in on this! =
Blunts for the Troops!
- OneMan - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 10:35 am:
“It’s going to be well done, it’s going to be tastefully done, and it’s going to be an experience.”
So no blacklight then? You got to have a blacklight man…
Or use Tide to draw on the walls and then use a blacklight to see it. The dudes next to my room in Lincoln Hall at NIU thought they were the smartest dudes in the world for coming up with that one.
- A Jack - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 10:35 am:
That could be a really interesting caption contest…..
- A Jack - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 10:40 am:
I would like to see some of that colored oil on backlit glass like they had back in the sixties with Jefferson Airplane. Maybe they could have a sixties night with some Grateful Dead and other psychedelic bands.
- Give Me A Break - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 10:44 am:
Good chance Bob Marley’s birthday could surpass Saint Patty’s Day as the biggest party day of the year in downtown Springpatch.
- walker - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 10:51 am:
DCEO contact high?
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 10:54 am:
Fantastic. I’m there, man. So looking forward to it and will be vacationing more in my home state. Looking forward to heading to Springfield for maybe a long weekend or to break up the week a bit. Congrats to everyone who made this happen.
- XonXoff - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 11:11 am:
== The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police contends that someone 21 or older who is simply walking around with a plastic bag of pot, provided it’s an ounce or less, is in the clear. ==
There ya go! In fact they’re 1.65 grams under the law. The whole plant count thing would have been just as easy to learn.
- Henry Francis - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 11:18 am:
If a public building that has a 4 story atrium gets you sparking, I know of a public building with a 17 story atrium that would be perfect.
Does the Guinness Book of World Records have a “world’s largest hot box”?
- Bruce (no not him) - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 11:18 am:
And they think parking is a problem now.
- Sonny - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 11:22 am:
Pretty generous definition of “success.”
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 11:35 am:
I hope they take the dceo banner off of there beforehand, otherwise they might have some very confused business people on their hands /s
- Maryjane - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 12:07 pm:
Believe it or not, I have only been to one public consumption (makes me think of TB)establishments, and that was near Denver, part of a little head shop. I stopped by to purchase a pipe. Anyway there was a counter with one patron vaping and there was the proprietor behind the counter. Nuthin’ going on, no jukebox or radio, not even a black light poster. It was really kinda grim. Anyway, it certainly wasn’t creating parking problems, or causing a crowd of insanely and irresponsibly intoxicated people to manage, it certainly couldn’t be accused of making too much noise. It did however fill up a little shopping center storefront (like we have a lot of in my neighborhood here)that otherwise might not be occupied, and I see that as very positive.
- Kayak - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 12:20 pm:
No reason to develop a model when there are plenty of models already out there such as Denver’s The Coffee Joint https://thecoffeejointco.com/ I have a feeling HCI will make this place about as comfortable as the DMV. They could start with nixing the 7 security guards micromanaging the line of people waiting to be served. Nothing kills a buzz faster than a squadron of uniforms.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 12:31 pm:
Selling coffee and non-alcoholic beverages should not be a problem, like in Amsterdam. Really would enjoy coffee with consumption—an excellent pairing.
If they put a lot of attention into this, like is said above, it could be very nice.
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 12:32 pm:
DCEO: The Department of Cannabis and… Eh, Other stuff, I forget…
- XonXoff - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 12:41 pm:
From the looks of the pic they may already be open.
- Maryjane - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 3:01 pm:
- Grandson of Man:
“Really would enjoy coffee with consumption—an excellent pairing.
Hear, hear my friend! That describes perfectly my substance use profile for the last seven years and every single day I’m most grateful, that it evolved as it has; very much different and much more gentle than that of my forebears.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 3:06 pm:
===Really would enjoy coffee with consumption===
A buddy of mine with a medical card recently bought some infused K-cups.
- Leatherneck - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 3:07 pm:
- Henry Francis - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 11:18 am:
If a public building that has a 4 story atrium gets you sparking, I know of a public building with a 17 story atrium that would be perfect.
Does the Guinness Book of World Records have a “world’s largest hot box”?
———————-
Was it that one weird looking building that was on “Running Scared”?
- R A T - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 3:35 pm:
I hope they allow cigar smoking too. I do not smoke pot but I do like to have a cigar with some friends while they smoke it (and it would be cool to do it legally once).
- MyTwoCents - Thursday, Jan 23, 20 @ 7:27 pm:
Bruce (no not him), I gotta say the parking complaints are such a Springfield thing. No spots on the block and people give up and drive away, when there’s parking garages or other street parking if people would just walk more than 1 block. The complaints drive me nuts.