Oswego Village Board Approves Cannabis Commercial Zoning

OSWEGO, IL — In a move sure to delight many and disappoint at least a few, the Oswego Village Board voted to approve the village for commercial zoning of cannabis businesses at its Dec. 10 meeting. In layman's terms, this means weed dispensaries will be welcome in Oswego from 2020 onward. As part of the state-wide legalization of recreational marijuana use that will become effective New Year's Day 2020, private possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana cannot be prohibited anywhere in Illinois. However, another part of the law also allows local municipalities to 'opt-in' or 'opt-out' of allowing cannabis businesses to operate within their borders. The Oswego Board chose to opt-in.

According to an informal study the village conducted in August, this development aligns with the wishes of about 73% of residents. Not that the remaining 27% took it lying down.

Trustee Brian Thomas - and Illinois District 14 GOP congressional candidate James Marter, who attended the meeting - urged the board to shoot down the commercial cannabis motion. While Marter was overtly opposed to all marijuana use on moral grounds, Thomas couched his arguments as appeals to procedural caution.

"We need to hit the pause button," he said. "This could be a great decision, but we don't know that. It might be the worst decision possible."

Their arguments did not change the outcome of the vote - even Marter's son James Marter Jr., who is on the village board, voted to approve the zoning. Still, a few older trustees also voiced concern over the sudden arrival of not just private but commercial legitimacy to a substance that has, for decades prior, been considered taboo.

"There's no history yet," Trustee Pam Parr said. Unlike Thomas, she voted to approve the zoning despite her apparent concerns, later saying she would "rather lead it and control it."

The board's decision was influenced by the prior decisions surrounding communities have made on the issue. With the exception of Plainfield, all of the villages bordering Oswego's planning boundary have already voted to permit zoning for cannabis businesses. Had Oswego opted out of commercial zoning, it would be one of the only communities in the area not to benefit from local commercial cannabis tax revenue. It could have also potentially made local law enforcement's job more difficult, as a lack of Oswego dispensaries means police could have a harder time distinguishing cannabis products bought illegally from those bought at a legal - but unfamiliar - establishment.

"Unless we build a wall and ID people coming in and out of this city, you just can't control it... so I just don't see the benefit [of opting out]," Parr said.

Per the vote, cannabis businesses operating in Oswego will be subject to several restrictions and conditions. No dispensary or grower will be allowed to open within 250 feet of a pre-existing incorporated school, daycare center, residential care home or park, and likewise no cannabis business will be allowed to open in the Oswego Downtown Core. The on-site "smoking lounges" sometimes found in larger cities' dispensaries will also be prohibited, partially due to Oswegoans' reliance on private vehicles.

"Out here in the suburbs, people drive everywhere,"Jenette Sturges, Oswego Community Engagement Coordinator said. "So we thought it was a bad idea for people to drive after smoking."

As its last major action of the night, the board voted to levy a 3% tax on all future cannabis product sales in the village. This tax revenue has been projected to generate between $15,000 and $600,000 annually, and the funds will be earmarked for a small handful of local initiatives.

These initiatives are:

• police purposes, including training on legal cannabis protocols
• development of a drug awareness curriculum
• school safety and crime prevention
• legal fee recapture

After the meeting adjourned, Village President Parlier wished everyone in attendance an enjoyable holiday season and a happy new year. When the board has its next meeting, recreational marijuana use will be legal and retail marijuana businesses may be on their way.

"Since they passed it... it may work well, it may work not as well as they intended," Thomas said.