Money is the focus of an ongoing debate.
The mayor of Naperville is talking about backing the sale of recreational marijuana.
This opens doors that have long stayed closed on controversial issues, due to political and societal views. Illinois will be the 11th state to legalize cannabis in January 2020. The legislation signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker permits recreational use of the drug for adults 21 and older and allows for the expungement of minor marijuana-related convictions.
As with any taboo subject, there are mixed feelings about the adopted legislature. Furthermore, there is opposition in regard to marijuana dispensaries throughout Naperville. Naperville City Council recently discussed banning the retail sale of cannabis. A referendum is in action that may take place in early 2020.
Those in favor of legalization point out the drug’s perceived medical and economic benefits. However, those that oppose say legalization would increase issues such as the number of car accidents and addictive drug usage.
But the question remains, does society believes cannabis is more dangerous than alcohol or tobacco? Cannabis is one of the few substances that statistics have shown to have health benefits. In contrast, alcohol and tobacco are sold at every corner with known health risks and alcohol-related crashes cause more than 10,000 deaths per year.
Naperville Police Officer Cole Ferguson has mixed feelings about the substance, even though he believes it may be economically beneficial.
“As a police officer, I don’t feel that it’s necessary to have marijuana sold in Naperville.” However, Ferguson said he believes legalizing the drug will be a safer alternative and may have less toxic substances to enhance it.
During a recent Naperville City Council meeting, 235 speakers lead the council to opt-out of retail dispensaries until a referendum can be put in place. The current issue for the council is when this will happen.
There is a concern that allowing dispensaries in Naperville would result in the increase of adolescent usage and potentially absence from school.
Judy Brodhead, a professor at North Central and Naperville city councilwoman said, “I am in favor of allowing a limited number of dispensaries in Naperville with careful siting, controlled hours and strict enforcement of under 21 regulations.”
Brodhead said that they voted on Sept. 3 to opt-out until they form a referendum and that she favors the earliest possible referendum date of March 2020.
While Brodhead is in support of her council regardless of which way the referendum goes, her belief is that “our current medical cannabis dispensary operates without any problems now. I foresee that they would also operate well in selling adult-use cannabis. It will generate significant taxes that will otherwise go to neighboring communities.”
Brodhead said that Bolingbrook and Wheaton have already opted out. This would leave more taxes for Naperville if the referendum votes opt-in.
“There are very strong opinions about opt-in or opt-out, which is why I think the referendum is a good idea. Naperville does have a strong sense of community, but that doesn’t mean everyone agrees about a controversial issue,” said Brodhead.
The community will most likely find out at the beginning of 2020 whether they will be added to a list of cities with open dispensaries to buy legal cannabis. Whatever the decision, there will be community members that oppose or favor the referendum. Time will only tell, as distilleries open statewide, whether the decision is economically and morally, better or worse.
