Medical Marijuana Dispensary Holds Community Open House in Brighton Park

CHICAGO, IL -- A new medical cannabis dispensary has opened its doors in Brighton Park and is offering community members a chance to come in and learn about the benefits of medical cannabis and how to become a patient of the dispensary.

Maribis of Chicago LLC, 4570 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, will be hosting a community open house from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21. Maribis's team members will be available to answer questions about cannabis as a medicine, Illinois’s medical cannabis laws and assist patients with registering to purchase medical marijuana. Maribis will also be offering free fingerprinting for prospective patients.

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.

“Illinois’ medical cannabis program is still unfamiliar to a lot of people,” said Bret Bender, director of strategic planning for Maribis. “We want our neighbors to know who we are, what we do, and learn the benefits medical cannabis may have for them or their loved ones.”

Records show Maribis Chicago LLC being led by Chicago lawyer Laurel Dineff, who also appears as a managing partner Maribis Springfield, and Bedford Grow LLC in Bedford Park.

Maribis offers a variety of medical cannabis strains to match with patients’ symptoms, including products that help suppress appetite or relieve insomnia associated with certain medical conditions.The Brighton Park dispensary plans to stock its shelves with flowers and edibles .

“We do have product on the shelf now,” Bender said. “There are 14 cultivators in Illinois currently selling product. We try to have a nice diversity.”

The state has so far approved 41 medical conditions eligible for medical marijuana, such as cancer, spinal cord injuries, Tourette’s Syndrome and childhood epilepsy. Earlier this summer, that state added post traumatic stress disorder and terminal illnesses for patients with less than six months to live to the list of eligible medical conditions.

Patients with documentation may purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana every 14 days from licensed dispensaries.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved the plant as a medicine in its untreated form because not enough large-scale clinical studies have been conducted to determine the benefits and risks of medical marijuana. Anecdotal evidence of the plant’s benefits is promising, if not overwhelming.

The FDA has, however, approved to two medications that contain cannabinoid chemicals in pill form, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

Bender says prices at the Maribis dispensary in Brighton Park are commensurate with the going market rate in Illinois. Patients will pay $50 to $60 for an eighth ounce, but some special and unique strains will be going for a little more.

Like all the state’s medical marijuana dispensaries, Maribis is a cash-only business because marijuana use is against federal law. Most banks and credit card companies are federally regulated. Patients will also pay sales tax.

“It’s such a new market in the state that the price point hasn’t settled yet,” Bender said.

The Maribis of Chicago LLC medical cannabis dispensary at 4570 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, will be open for business from 8 a.m. to noon Monday; 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday; noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The dispensary is closed Wednesday and Sunday.

Patients interested in registering for the medical cannabis program can visit the Illinois Department of Public Health website.