KEWANEE, Ill. (KWQC) – While the federal government is poised to ease restrictions on marijuana nationwide, the list of dispensaries is growing in Illinois after the state legalized recreational cannabis in 2020.
That includes Kewanee, as their city council is set to vote on a special-use permit for a proposed dispensary later this month.
Cannabis consumers in Kewanee currently have to travel at least 45 minutes or more to reach the nearest dispensary, whether it’s in the Quad Cities, Galesburg, Peoria or Peru.
But that could be changing soon, after the group HVN Capital applied for a permit to open a dispensary in a shuttered restaurant that was previously called Broken Chimneys at 618 Tenney St.
Kewanee’s City Manager Gary Bradley says this could prove beneficial for their community.
“If we were able to get those people to stay here, and maybe even bring in customers from surrounding areas, that would help to keep those tax dollars local,” Bradley said.
After Illinois legalized cannabis recreationally in 2020, Kewanee officials began setting ordinances to prepare for permit applications, initially prohibiting shops within 1,000 feet of a school.
However, after HVN Capital’s application last summer, council lowered the ordinance to 250 feet.
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