While many recreational marijuana dispensaries in Illinois were forced to stop recreational sales, medical marijuana patients still have access to their medicine. Medical marijuana dispensaries are allowing patients to place orders and pick them up curbside. The idea is to promote social distancing and keep patients safe.
These practices will be in place until at least March 30, according to The Chicago Tribune. Dispensary employees are allowed to exit the building to deliver orders to patients. Employees are permitted to go as far as adjacent sidewalks to take orders as well.
Employees will then take the order and payment and return inside to process the order. Once the order is complete, the employee will return outside with any change and the medicine ordered.
While waiting, patients are asked to keep a distance of 6-feet between themselves.
The State of Illinois has also instructed dispensaries to disinfect surfaces on tablets and door handles every 30 minutes. Medical and recreational marijuana lines must be separated at dispensaries that are still serving recreational marijuana customers.
Bret Bender of the Cannabis Control Section of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said, “If patients, caregivers, or purchasers are bunching up, the dispensary must intervene to order them to space out.”
Dispensary 33 is suspending recreational marijuana sales temporarily. Greengate Chicago has chosen to close temporarily.
Greengate sent an email to its medical marijuana patrons that reads, in part, “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. We will miss you all during these difficult times.”
The Herbal Care Center will only serve medical marijuana patients until further notice.
Restrictions are in place at Mission South Shore as it is only allowing 10 patrons on the sales floor at a time. They are still serving recreational marijuana customers. They have also lifted their buying limits due to previous shortages. Patients can now purchase as much as they are allowed to by state law.