The second medical marijuana dispensary to open in Champaign County is now seeing its first customers. Nu Med is located at 105 East University in Urbana, the site of a former Blockbuster Video location. It joins Champaign-based Phoenix Botanical as the two dispensaries allowed by the state's pilot program in State Police District 10, which includes Champaign, Vermilion, and seven other Central Illinois counties.
Final work is underway to convert a University Avenue site to a medical marijuana dispensary operated by Wheaton-based Nu Med. The CEO of partner group Education to Grow, Ben Rediger, says market demand in the state's pilot program has grown to a point where one dispensary, Phoenix Botantical in Champaign, will not be able to fully handle the flow of new patients in the region.
A measure extending the sunset date for Illinois medical marijuana pilot program passed the Illinois House Monday, and now heads to the state Senate.
The pilot program currently has about 6,000 patients, not close to what advocates were hoping for at this point. They say there are number of reasons behind that - including the application process, and the state's failure to expand the list of qualifying conditions. Without legislative action, it will expire in January 2018.
Phoenix Botanical, Champaign County's first medical marijuana dispensary, expects to start business in early April. Dan Linn, the company's General Manager and National Policy Director, addressed about 50 people on the future of the state's pilot program at a public forum Sunday.
