Though adult-use cannabis is now legal in Illinois, places to legally consume the much-buzzed about product are currently in short supply.

But that could soon change as the Springfield City Council on Tuesday night approved a downtown pot shop's request to allow on-site consumption in a lounge area connected to their retail operation.

The 9-1 vote appears to make Springfield the first city in Illinois to grant approval for controlled legal public consumption. As a result, HCI Alternatives (to be known as Illinois Supply & Provisions starting Jan. 27), 628 E. Adams Street, now has the right to host on-site consumption at their downtown location whenever ready and with a real chance for it to be the first-of-its-kind to open statewide.

Chris Stone, a policy advisor for HCI's parent company, Ascend Wellness, said on-site consumption could be ready as soon as April. He said the hope is for the operation to serve as a model for future lounges across the state, though acknowledged that it's very much a "beta test" since the concept has never been tried before in Illinois.

"It's uncharted territory right now as to what we're doing, so we're trying to figure that out and hopefully we can figure that out in the next three to four months and, once again, develop the model by which other lounges are going to be looking to do the same thing," Stone said.

The state law, which gave people 21 and older the ability to legally possess, use and buy recreational cannabis in Illinois on Jan. 1, also allows on-site consumption at dispensaries, though it also gives municipalities the right to ban on-site consumption.

Zoning rules passed by the city council last year allow for on-site consumption in Springfield as a conditional permitted use, meaning that dispensaries that want on-site consumption must first receive approval from the council.

Reception for the on-site consumption premise received a largely warm reception from council members, who noted that the options to legally consume the product are currently lacking.

"I think having this lounge there gives people who want to smoke still, which I don't how many people even do that anymore, but gives them an opportunity to consume what is a legal product in the state of Illinois," said Ward 8 Ald. Erin Conley, who noted that it could be a prime location for downtown hotel guests to consume the product.

"I believe that people will be responsible and they will act in the same way as when they go downtown to a bar; and if they feel that they're going to consume too much, they'll have a designated driver and just be responsible," added Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner. "I don't think that we can legislate morality or people's intentions. We can only act in a responsible manner. And I think providing on-site consumption lounges is being very responsible and not putting individuals at risk when they are consuming a legal product.

The lone 'no' vote came from Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who has been a vocal opponent of both allowing recreational sales and on-site consumption in town. McMemamin said he was worried about "the change of the character of our downtown" that could be caused by the activity and about safety concerns.

But, Stone said precautions would be taken to ensure a safe experience for customers and the surrounding neighborhood.

"Listen, there's some responsibility on us to make sure that (customers) are getting home safely, so if it's getting them a Lyft, getting them an Uber, getting them a taxi, making sure that they're being able to walk back to their hotel if they're going back to the hotels nearby, we want to make sure that they get home safely," Stone said.

The 9,000-square foot on-site consumption area, connected to the dispensary via a hallway, could hold up to 150 people at a time, Stone said.

With state rules still left largely unwritten with regards to on-site consumption, Stone said there will be a lot of trial and error in getting the concept correct. One issue that has not been resolved is whether customers would have to enter through the retail shop after purchasing product or if there will be a direct street entrance.

Stone said the company is "contemplating" what to do on that subject while acknowledging the potential liability of allowing people to bring their own product in.

In addition to granting the on-site license, the council approved a zoning request that will allow HCI to sell recreational marijuana at its secondary site, 3201 Horizon Drive, a former Outback Steakhouse nestled between Dirksen Parkway and Interstate 55.

As an existing medical marijuana company, HCI was permitted to open a secondary site for recreational sales within the same metropolitan area. HCI's parent company, Ascend Wellness, purchased the property for $590,000 in October, according to Sangamon County tax records.

Construction crews are currently working on the site, with interior demolitions already complete. Stone said the company is eyeing a March or April opening for the site. While on-site consumption is not currently in the plans there, things could change.

"It could be down the road," Stone said. "We do actually have a space that we've designed in mind to do it. Obviously, we'd have to go through the planning and zoning process to do that. If we do that, likely you won't see the petition in February, you'd probably likely see it in March."

In both locations, Stone said he hopes to tap into the city’s tourism and lodging industry. In addition to being in close proximity to several historic sites, there are two large convention hotels across the street from the downtown dispensary: the Wyndham Springfield City Centre, 700 E. Adams St., and the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel, 701 E. Adams St. And a short distance from the secondary site is the Crowne Plaza, 3000 S. Dirksen Parkway, the largest hotel in the city’s southwest corridor.

Contact Brenden Moore: 788-1526, bmoore@sj-r.com, twitter.com/brendenmoore13.