GALESBURG — Work on Galesburg’s first and only marijuana dispensary is finally nearing completion and pending final approval from the state for a planned mid-March opening, according to the dispensary’s manager.

Nature’s Treatment of Illinois originally planned to have its Galesburg dispensary open on Jan. 1, the day marijuana became legal in Illinois, but has over time delayed the opening first into February and then into March, citing issues with supply and state licenses. This wait appears to be nearing an end, albeit with some concessions.

Not unlike Nature’s Treatment’s Milan location, which opened on New Year’s Day, as well as many other state dispensaries, supply will be limited when Nature’s Treatment Galesburg opens in the former Aldi building at Main and Henderson streets. While manager Shannon Ballegeer says topicals, edibles and vape cartridges will be in steady supply, smokable “flower” marijuana will be likely not available, at least early on.

This is in part because Nature’s Treatment is not vertically integrated like some other state dispensaries. It doesn’t have its own cultivation facilities, so it is often given lower priority than suppliers with their own dispensaries.

The dispensary’s interiors are still being worked on, but have shown progress. Electricity is in the building, and computers are being installed. New walls have been constructed in the former Aldi building in order to partition the different sections of the business.

“If you picture an old Aldi building, everything is very open,” Ballegeer said.

Work has been done to build a vault, office space, the front waiting room area, and the room with 12 terminals in the middle area where the product itself will be sold.

The work still being done on the dispensary has come following a state walk-through last week that gave NTI a list of things to adjust.

Other work will continue after the dispensary opens. The waiting room area where shoppers will enter and register themselves into the queue to purchase product will be more like a DMV when NTI Galesburg first opens, but the dispensary hopes to add couches and create a more comfortable atmosphere there over time.

Once NTI’s fixes on various “odds and ends” that were identified following the state walk-through are approved, they will need to obtain product, train employees and prepare for opening.

Ballegeer says NTI has 20 Galesburg employees right now, about half of whom have been trained. Another round of hiring should come soon, close to the opening date.

The dispensary has previously held open interviews periodically on the second floor of the YMCA at the Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development offices, with open interviews announced via the dispensary’s Galesburg Facebook page.

When opening day does come, expect festivities. When Nature’s Treatment opened its Milan location at the beginning of the year, they did so with a heated tent and food trucks, and they hope to bring the same treatment with a local flavor to Galesburg.

“We know lines are going to be long,” Ballegeer said. “We don’t want people to sit in line with nothing to do.”

Supply will likely be paced out on the first day so nobody waiting in line will leave empty-handed.

When people come in, there will be two check-in lines and then the waiting room. Then, customers will be called onto the sales floor and go up to one of 12 terminals to make a purchase. There is an exit door at the other end of the store, separate from the entrance.

Consumers ages 21 and older are allowed to buy marijuana in Illinois, but there are some caveats. Purchases must be cash only, something that will be abetted by the two ATMs in the dispensary. Illinoisans can legally possess up to 30 grams of marijuana, 5 grams of cannabis concentrate and 500 mg of THC from cannabis-infused products like edibles and tinctures. Visitors to the state can purchase half of this amount.

Cannabis flower products or products with less than 35% THC will have a 10% sales tax. Cannabis-infused products like edibles will have a 20% sales tax, and products with THC concentration over 35% will have a 25% tax. The City of Galesburg will also be taxing an additional 3% on top of this.

Security is a priority with the dispensary. Security guards have already been hired by the business, and cameras have been installed on the interior and exterior of the building. The state requires a security guard to always be on-site at dispensaries, and police presence will also be increased in the area in the first couple of months.

Nature’s Treatment will only take up about half of the building, so the question remains over what other businesses could take up root there. While word of a coffee shop originally followed the announcement of the dispensary, Ballegeer says nothing is set in stone for tenants in the building.

“Opportunities are endless,” she said, even positing that a smoking lounge could move into the space, allowing indoor consumption of cannabis.

As for the future after opening, Ballegeer hopes supply can become more plentiful, allowing more varieties to be served and prices to be lower. Until then, those who come into the dispensary should check the menu on Nature’s Treatment’s website before visiting.

Some relief may come as more growers are certified. Illinois Craft Grower Licenses are being accepted until March 15 and will be approved by July 1.

Expect more news as the dispensary nears completion. When The Register-Mail visited the dispensary Friday, access was still not allowed to the sales floor, but Ballegeer says a more robust “media day” will precede the dispensary’s opening.

Matt Koester: (309) 315-6069; mkoester@register-mail.com