Health |

Dispensaries halt recreational weed sales as Illinois allows curbside delivery to medical users

Illinois will allow marijuana dispensaries to take orders from medical patients outside of their shops — at the curb, or in the parking lot — to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus.

Meanwhile, more dispensaries in Chicago have stopped recreational sales until further notice.

The state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation issued guidance Monday to dispensaries on how to help contain COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Special effort is being made to protect medical patients, many of whom have compromised immune systems, but still need access to medical marijuana.

Typically, dispensaries are only allowed to distribute marijuana products inside a limited access area, as deemed by the state. But until March 30, dispensary workers will be allowed to go outside to medical patients’ cars or adjacent public walkways to take their order. They then must take the cash inside, get the product and bring it back out to the patient.

The rule change applies only to medical patients.

The state also advised dispensaries to disinfect any surfaces that patients touch, like tablets or door handles, every 30 minutes. The stores must also ensure customers don’t come within 6 feet of other patrons, and the shops must keep medical and recreational lines separate.

“If patients, caregivers, or purchasers are bunching up, the dispensary must intervene to order them to space out,” said the guidance from Bret Bender, deputy director of the Cannabis Control Section in the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which regulates dispensaries.

On Tuesday, Dispensary 33 in the Uptown neighborhood stopped recreational sales until further notice, said marketing director Abigail Watkins. The dispensary could not serve recreational customers and keep everyone at a safe distance from each other, she said. MOCA Modern Cannabis in the Logan Square neighborhood halted recreational sales last week.

A medical marijuana dispensary in the Rogers Park neighborhood, Greengate Chicago, temporarily shut down Wednesday.

“The risk to all has become too great, and for the greater good of humanity, we have shut our doors for approximately two weeks, to clean and quarantine,” said an email the dispensary sent to customers Tuesday night. “We will miss you all during these difficult times.”

Greengate only sells medical marijuana, and is one of the first dispensaries to stop medical sales because of COVID-19.

The Herbal Care Center, a dispensary near the Pilsen neighborhood, is also closing to do a deep clean on Thursday, according to a text alert sent to customers. The store plans to resume medical sales Friday, but recreational sales are suspended until further notice.

Many legal weed stores began taking measures last week to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including restricting sales to medical patients only, asking medical patients to use online ordering systems or send their caregiver, or reducing hours of operation.

The precautions have continued to escalate as the disease has spread in Illinois.

Mission South Shore marijuana dispensary has continued recreational sales, but will not allow more than 10 people on the sales floor, said Gabriel Mendoza, Mission’s vice president of operations.

The dispensary has a classroom that it will set aside for patients and take their orders from there, Mendoza said. Additionally, it is ending buying limits on flower, the dried buds that can be smoked. Buying limits were put in place in response to a statewide shortage of marijuana products after recreational sales started Jan. 1.

“Individuals can come pick up as much medicine as they need to get through this quarantine,” Mendoza said.

amarotti@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @AllyMarotti