A recently-opened cannabis dispensary in Lincolnwood is preparing a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the shop, which is the first suburban location for its owners.
Green Rose Dispensary, which will be the first dispensary in Lincolnwood, had a soft opening at its location at 4656 W. Touhy Ave. on New Year’s Eve. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with vendors, DJs and public officials was slated for Jan. 13 but canceled ahead of time because of harsh weather conditions, according to a spokesperson, who said it would be rescheduled for the next few weeks.
The dispensary will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, according to Ross Morreale, the operations manager for Green Rose dispensaries. “It’s a really busy area right off the expressway,” Morreale said of the location of the dispensary. “If you look at the map where all the stores are, there was definitely an area that was a void,” he said.
Morreale said he grew up in Skokie and the store’s partners also had a familiarity with the area because they lived in Lincolnwood.
Scott Mangum, Lincolnwood’s Community Development Director, said the village has a 3% municipal cannabis retailers’ occupation tax, and the village expects to see annual tax revenue in the six-figure range from Green Rose.
Morreale said Green Rose is an independent dispensary because and is not attached to a manufacturer of cannabis products, meaning that it can sell any brand it wants. “You look at the Green Rose’s menu, and we carry so many more products,” he said. “…We’re not selling our own stuff.”
According to Morreale, customers at Green Rose will have the option to pay through cash and debit cards. Because cannabis is not legal at the federal level, credit cards cannot be used to purchase it.
Morreale said he is hopeful that the Drug Enforcement Agency takes the Department of Health and Human Services’ advice, according to news reports, to reschedule cannabis from a Schedule I drug, the most dangerous and addictive type, to a Schedule III drug, the designation given to drugs with a lower potential for dependency, such as ketamine and testosterone. “I think this year will be the year that it happens. That’s just my personal opinion,” said Morreale. “I said that last year, too,” he quipped.
Green Rose’s Lincolnwood location also takes multiple steps for safety, including staggered times for deliveries of cash and products, with no set schedule for either, said Morreale. The store also has multiple cameras inside and outside and will be able to zoom in to recognize faces.
Morreale said the store will not need to throw out cannabis-related garbage on a regular basis because the store will run discounts or promotions. In cases where Green Rose will have to throw out cannabis-related garbage, Morreale said the store will have to follow state guidelines to make the products unusable, like mixing them with kitty litter and bleach and destroying vape cartridges.
The store currently employs 10 people full-time and five people on a part-time basis. Morreale said once the store gets going full swing, the store will likely have 35 to 40 employees. Morreale said the store has a social equity license from the state, so more than 51% of the store’s employees need to live in a disproportionately impacted area designated by the state or have been arrested for cannabis.
Morreale said Green Rose is also in the process of building its Harwood Heights location. He said the location could open as early as April.
