St. Joseph will discuss future of marijuana within Village limits

By FRED KRONER
fred@sjodaily.com

St. Joseph, Ill. – A new state law doesn’t necessarily mean a new amount of tolerance in area communities.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who was elected earlier this year, signed a bill on Tuesday that will legalize marijuana (up to one ounce per person for adults 21 and older) in the state effective on Jan. 1, 2020.

Much like some villages remained dry after alcohol sales became legal in the state in 1933, there will be room for individual communities to continue to ban the possession of marijuana, which in turn could subject those who violate that policy to arrest.

No decisions have been made, but those conversations will be undertaken throughout the area soon.

St. Joseph president Tami Fruhling-Voges expects the topic to be broached in her village.

“Our village board has not formally discussed what we will do,” Fruhling-Voges said. “From previous discussions, I get the impression that if we have the option to opt out, that this may be the approach we take.”

Even though the bill – which easily passed through both the house and senate – is law, it won’t automatically happen in St. Joseph.

“The village’s zoning would have to be updated to be sure that if we allowed the sale of marijuana in the village that we would have proper placement for this kind of business,” Fruhling-Voges said.

Early feedback, the village president said, has not been supportive of the legislation.

“The community members that have spoken to me about this possibility have so far not been in favor of this kind of business in our community.” Fruhling-Voges said.  “St. Joseph is very much a family-friendly community with a lot of small-town values. A marijuana business would probably not be welcome or have much success.”

At this time, she is listening and forming opinions, but nothing is set in stone.

“If the village started to receive overwhelming requests from community members for this type of business, we would have to look at all the pros and cons along with putting into place proper restrictions to protect the community,” Fruhling-Voges said. “We will also be consulting with our village attorney about what restrictions will be needed for legal marijuana use in public places within the village.”

In the event that the village does approve marijuana possession, it could still not be allowed at certain locations.

“Marijuana usage on private property of rental properties will be made between the property owners and their tenants,” Fruhling-Voges said. “St. Joseph does not regulate rental property within the village.”

The village president sees several issues which as yet do not have definitive answers.

“Long- and short-term ramifications are, of course, hard to know for sure, but as a mayor and a citizen, my concerns are:  how it will affect our young people who will potentially have more availability for access, the additional impaired drivers on the roads, what kind of legal problems will come our way as an employer enforcing no-drug policies on the job especially with those using heavy equipment and putting other employees or the public at risk,” Fruhling-Voges said. “There is mixed and conflicting information being presented from those states who have already legalized recreational marijuana. 

“The Village of St. Joseph will most likely pass on a few tax dollars and not include our community in the State of Illinois’ experiment with recreational marijuana.”

The new law permits possession, consumption and sales of cannabis – as well as for certified medical marijuana patients – growing it in small quantities (up to five plants) at home. State Sen. Heather Steans, a Chicago Democrat, is a co-sponsor of the bill.

The Illinois Department of Revenue has estimated that within five years, tax revenue on cannabis products could generate in excess of $375 million annually.

 The issue has also drawn the attention of Sean Widener, the Village of Mahomet president.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Widener said, “but I’ll wait and see how the state rolls it out as far as regulations and how they will handle it.

“We will have conversations about how we will adapt. It’s troublesome for police staffing.”