Business & Tech
Pot Dispensary Opening Soon In Lake in the Hills
The dispensary will be the first in McHenry County. A grand opening is planned for Wednesday.
LAKE IN THE HILLS, IL —RISE Dispensaries is expected to open its ninth location in Illinois next week. The adult-use dispensary will be located in a former Chinese restaurant along Randall Road in Lake in the Hills, and will be the first marijuana dispensary to open in McHenry County.
The dispensary is planning for a grand opening on Wednesday as long as everything falls into place regarding the permits the business needs, Joshua Langen, community and economic development director for Lake in the Hills, told Patch. Work has been underway in recent months to transform the former Chen's Chinese Cuisine at 270 Randall Road into a space suited for selling marijuana.
The business may have a "soft opening" before an official opening but details surrounding the soft opening, and who would be invited to attend, was not immediately available.
Find out what's happening in Algonquin-Lake In The Hillsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Currently, the closest marijuana dispensaries licensed in the state are located in Rolling Meadows, Mundelein, Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove and Rockford.
RISE currently has eight other locations in Illinois, including suburban locations in Joliet, a recreational facility on Colorado Avenue, and a medical and recreational dispensary on Rock Creek Boulevard; medical and recreational facilities in Mundelein and Naperville and a recreational dispensary in Niles.
Find out what's happening in Algonquin-Lake In The Hillsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Adult use marijuana sales have skyrocketed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Illinois, marijuana brought in $80.7 million in sales in February. Comparably speaking, a year earlier pot sales yielded $34.8 million in revenue for dispensaries across the state, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
Last fall, village officials in Lake in the Hills began discussing the possibility of bringing a dispensary to town with hopes that the tax revenue from the sales could help offset revenue lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Northwest Herald.
This is a developing story. Check back to Patch.com in the coming days for updates.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.