Will the Chicago weed revolution be Zoomified?
A number of independent cannabis dispensary owners and multistate operators that have approval to open businesses in designated parts of Chicago are still waiting for final neighborhood zoning approval before they can officially set up shop in a particular location.
Prior to the pandemic, neighborhood meetings were regularly held to allow companies to share their plans and residents to voice feedback and potential concerns. As neighborhood meetings slowly return, albeit via Zoom and other virtual environments, it is unclear if or to what degree approval within a Zoom meeting constitutes a green light to forge ahead.
As reported by Block Club Chicago, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) and the West Loop Community Organization co-hosted a Zoom meeting to review a plan by Chicago-based Dispensary 33 to open a second location at 1152 West Randolph.
It seems that a virtual meeting, while seen as a supplemental resource, is not seen by itself as a replacement for a neighborhood meeting.
Homewood welcomes infusion business, pending state license
A Chicago-based startup called Sweet Sensi gained approval to operate an infusion business at 1133 W. 175th St in Homewood. The company still needs a state license to begin production. Hundreds of infuser, craft grow and transport applications are in the review process, which notice expected to arrive later this summer.
Cashflow up at Curaleaf
Massachusetts-based Curaleaf on May 19 announced that it generated $96.5 million in the first quarter, including $20 million in cash flow. Curaleaf last summer announced plans to acquire Chicago-based Grassroots Cannabis, and appears to still be on pace for a transaction initially valued at $875 million.
