Chicago aldermen on Wednesday defeated a measure led by its Black Caucus to delay the start of legal recreational marijuana sales over a lack of minority-owned dispensaries.
The Chicago City Council voted 29-19 against the ordinance, which had narrowly passed its Committee on Contracting Equity and Oversight on Tuesday this week by a margin of 10-9.
Licensed marijuana dispensaries located within Chicago city limits are now back on schedule to start retail sales at the beginning of 2020 as previously planned.
“We are moving forward, making sure that the city is prepared for the legalization of cannabis on January 1,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said following the vote. “And we will be prepared.”
Illinois recently became the eleventh state in the country to legalize the recreational use of marijuana among adults, and next month is set to become the ninth in the nation to launch a system for taxing and regulating retail pot sales.
Chicago aldermen nearly delayed the start of retail sales in city limits over concerns stemming from the lack of minority involvement in the industry, however. The Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus recently noted that none of the dispensaries licensed to sell recreational marijuana next month are owned by minorities or women and proposed postponing the start of retail sales in the city until July 1, 2020.
“This six-month delay is critical for us to level the social equity field in an industry that will profoundly impact black and brown communities, given many of the proposed sites for dispensaries are in our neighborhoods,” its members wrote in an op-ed Tuesday.
Ms. Lightfoot, a Democrat, had argued prior to the City Council voting Wednesday that delaying the start of marijuana sales by six months “would have a multitude of unintended consequences,” such as fueling illegal sales and postponing the launch of the city’s legal marketplace to a time when public resources are needed elsewhere.
“Crossing our arms and walking away is a tactic, not a strategy and is not only unacceptable but irresponsible,” said the mayor. “I have no intention of Chicago being left behind. It is unfortunate that the Black Caucus has chosen to remain on the sidelines.”
Illinois previously legalized the medicinal use of marijuana in 2013. More than 30 medical marijuana dispensaries in the state had been licensed to start recreational sales next month, including 10 in Chicago as of earlier this week.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.