Darien Rumor On Marijuana Law Still Circulates

DARIEN, IL – You may oppose the state's law allowing marijuana dispensaries, but one fact remains: It contains no provision requiring such stores be a certain distance away from schools.

For several months, city officials have been trying to combat the rumor that the state mandates such a distance.

At Monday's City Council meeting, Alderman Gerry Leganski said a resident showed him a document that the resident said proved the state law requires a dispensary must be at least 1,600 feet away from a school or daycare.

But Mayor Joseph Marchese pointed out that no such requirement exists. The city itself could have imposed such a rule, but it did not.

In February, the city announced that High Haven would open at 8131 S. Cass Ave. in the Darien Plaza, where Q Bar is. The store needed no permit because that type of business is already allowed there.

The news of the store upset many residents, who said it would be too close to Concord Elementary School, which is southwest of the shopping center. But others have noted that the bar and a liquor store are already in the shopping center.

When High Haven announced it was opening in Darien, it said it would do so by late spring, which is officially ending in a couple of weeks.

High Haven's last Facebook post was a month ago.

Patch left a message Tuesday with High Haven about its opening day.