Proposed Jeff Park Medical Marijuana Clinic View Full Caption

JEFFERSON PARK — State officials Monday declined to issue a medical marijuana license to either of the two firms that have city officials' permission to open a dispensary in the heart of Jefferson Park.

Union Group of Illinois received the only medical medical marijuana dispensary license issued in Jefferson Township, Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration announced Monday.

Union Group of Illinois owner Dmitrey Stebley said Monday he did not know where the dispensary would be located. His firm has not submitted an application to city officials for a special use permit to open a dispensary, according to the Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals.

Of the seven companies that applied for one of the two medical marijuana licenses in Jefferson Township — which covers most of the Far Northwest Side — Union Group of Illinois submitted the top-rated application as judged by state officials during Gov. Pat Quinn's administration.

State officials said a second license would be issued in Jefferson Township "after further review."

The No. 2 rated application in Jefferson Township came from Curative Health, which has already received a special-use permit from city officials to open the dispensary at 4758 N. Milwaukee Ave.

However, the rankings by Quinn administration officials showed they might have had reservations about awarding the license to Nicholas Vita, the vice-chairman of Curative Health. Next to the firm's score, under a column titled "issues," reads: "Hold. Nicholas Vita."

A spokeswoman for Curative Health did not immediately return messages seeking a response.

The proposal to open dispensaries in Jefferson Park drew fire from some who said they were concerned the dispensary would be a magnet for crime, decrease property values and endanger children using the playgrounds at Jefferson Park Memorial Park and Wilson Park as well as the Jefferson Park library.

But others said the dispensary would provide a valuable service that would help people suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer and glaucoma.

Vita, whose firm also operates dispensaries in Washington, D.C., Arizona and Massachusetts, said at a community meeting that the firm's "impeccable" track record made the chance of significant problems unlikely and promised to make substantial contributions to local nonprofit groups if allowed to open.

State officials also declined to issue a license to EuFlora Health Center to open a dispensary at 4760½ N. Milwaukee Ave. That firm's application was ranked fifth of the seven applications.

Euflora also has the city's permission to open its dispensary.

State officials also declined to issue licenses to four other firms, although they are still in the running with one license still up for grabs.

Those companies are:

• Midwestern Wellness Group of Illinois, which sought to open a dispensary at 3118 N. Harlem Ave. in Dunning

• Phoenix Farms of Illinois, which wanted to open a dispensary at 3433 N. Elston Ave. in Avondale

• Kind Care, which wanted to open a dispensary at 3541 N. Elston Ave. in Avondale

• Illinois Grown Medicine, which wanted to open a dispensary at 4739 W. Montrose Ave. in Old Irving Park

Dispensaries must be 1,000 feet from schools and daycare centers and can't be in residences, according to city regulations. Thirteen of the 60 Illinois dispensaries can be in the city, with no more than two in each township, according to state law.

Illinois Medical Marijuana Permit and License Awardees

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