By Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ new recreational cannabis law will allow cities to give local cigar shops and other similar businesses permission to let cannabis smokers partake in their shops. The Illinois-based member of a tobacco association says not to hold your breath.
Illinois’ cigar shops could allow on site consumption of cannabis but an owner says she, along with many others, aren’t likely to agree to it.
When recreational cannabis becomes the law of the land next month, municipalities have the ability to allow for local businesses that get 80 percent or more of their income from tobacco sales to have on-site cannabis consumption.
“It’s a defined term in the Smoke Free Illinois Act,” said Dan Bolin, attorney with Ancel Glink and host of their popular “Quorum Forum” podcast. “Those are the kinds of same places where on-premises consumption could be allowed by local governments under the trailer bill.”
This means a town can allow places like hookah lounges and cigar shops to have onsite consumption of marijuana.
Julie Neumann, owner of Neumann Cigars and More locations in suburban Chicago, says it’s not likely that many retail cigar outlets will allow it.
“It would be offensive to them if we allowed people to come in and smoke marijuana,” she said. “I would assume others would be in the same position, not wanting to offend their current customers.”
Many tobacco shops require any cigars smoked in their locations to be purchased there as well, or face “cutting fees” for cigars brought into the business.
The city of Springfield recently allowed cannabis shops to be zoned for on-site consumption.
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