ILLINOIS — With Minnesota’s recent legalization of cannabis, Wisconsin is now the only state in the upper Midwest where cannabis is illegal for both recreational or medicinal use.
Dispensaries in Illinois near the border have seen a boost in business.
John Aldape is the director for concept development at Okay Cannabis in Wheeling, Ill.
“We got a mixture of cannabis products including flower, edibles, beverages, concentrates and vapes or cartridges,” said Aldape.
While Okay Cannabis doesn’t officially track where its customers are coming from, Aldape said it is not uncommon to see Wisconsin license plates parked in front of their business.
“On the weekends, we see regular traffic coming through from Wisconsin, from Milwaukee, especially," said Aldape. "We are the only dispensary in that driving distance that has a bakery to offer and it’s not just a dispensary.”
Another dispensary that has gained a reliable Wisconsin customer base is the Ivy Hall Cannabis Dispensary in Waukegan, Ill.
Eric Stauffer is the dispensary’s inventory manager. He said Waukegan’s proximity to Wisconsin played a role in picking the store's location.
“Roughly half — 40% — of our market of our customers are coming from out of state," said Stauffer. "Now what’s interesting, technically speaking, if they purchase cannabis in Illinois, because it is illegal in Wisconsin, they are not supposed to be going back over the border headed to Wisconsin with their goodies.”
A man from Racine, Wis., who spoke to Spectrum News anonymously, said he uses marijuana for help with his glaucoma.
He said he believes Wisconsin is missing out by not legalizing cannabis.
“I gotta admit this is 30-something dollars off this purchase that Illinois got in taxes. I have to say that their roads are getting better since they legalized recreational weed. We need to do that here with Wisconsin roads obviously,” he said.
In the few months that the Okay Dispensary has been opened, Aldape said Wisconsinites have provided a boost in their business.
“We definitely see a lot of that traffic on the weekends. I’d probably say it was 20-25% of our traffic on the weekends,” said Aldape.
For these dispensaries, their businesses have certainly been impacted by Wisconsinites crossing the border. Time will tell if a similar economic boost will be seen in Minnesota along the state’s western border.