First Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens on Chicago's South Side

Midway Dispensary, 5648 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, is the first medical marijuana dispensary on the city's South Side.

CHICAGO, IL -- South Side patients who've been trekking out to the suburbs can now purchase medical marijuana without leaving the neighborhood.

Midway Dispensary is conveniently located at 5648 S. Archer Ave. three blocks from Chicago Midway International Airport in the city’s Garfield Ridge neighborhood.

The facility opened its doors on April 26. The shelves are fully stocked with a variety of strains cultivated to bring relief to patients suffering from 39 qualifying medical conditions.

To be able to purchase medical marijuana, patients and caregivers must apply to the Illinois Department of Public Health and provide documentation from their physicians. The law bars anyone with a felony drug conviction from obtaining a medical marijuana card. When applying, patients will be asked to choose a dispensary.

Midway Dispensary is the 33rd licensed dispensary to open in the state, and the first to open on the South Side. Only three medical marijuana dispensaries are located with Chicago’s city limits; in addition to Midway, the others are located on the city’s North Side in Andersonville, and Logan Square on the South Side.

The Garfield Ridge dispensary is owned by Steve Turk. Patients need a letter from their physicians to obtain a card from the state in order to participate in the program.

“We can help new patients with the application process, as well as patients wishing to transfer to our facility,” Turk said. “A lot of patients were driving an hour to Schaumburg or Addison. We have forms at our reception desk.”

Illinois’ Medical Cannabis Advisory Board met Monday in Springfield to urge expansion of the medical cannabis program to add 10 previously recommended health conditions.

The panel also recommended two new conditions, Type 1 diabetes and panic disorder. Board member and pediatrician Dr. Nestor Ramirez, chair of the panel, advised patients and medical professionals “to wait for what the governor says.”

"We don't get everything that we want on this board anyway, several times over," board chair Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple told the Chicago Tribune.

Turk said that out of the 1 million to 1.5 million patients in Illinois with one of the 39 qualifying health conditions, only 6,000 patients are registered for the program. Patients with documentation may purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana every 14 days from licensed dispensaries.

Patients must pay a one-time application fee of $50 for fingerprints, as well as an annual fee of $100 to obtain a medical marijuana card.

“The process is not very user friendly and it takes two to three months,” Turk said. “The state could make it easier for people, and it doesn’t done to greatest job reaching out to medical professionals as opposed to prescription and opioid-based painkillers.”

Prices at the dispensary vary depending on the cultivator and strain, Turk said. Typically, a patient can purchase a gram for $16 and an eighth of an ounce for $52. The dispensary also offers 10-percent discounts for U.S. veterans, senior citizens and first-time customers on an initial purchase.

Like all of the state’s medical marijuana dispensaries, Midway Dispensary is a cash-only business because marijuana use is against federal law. Most banks and credit card companies are federally regulated.

Midway Dispensary, 5648 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The dispensary is closed Sunday and Monday. Free parking is available.

Follow Midway Dispensary on Facebook.