Lemont Primary Results: Voters Say No To Dispensary

LEMONT, IL — Lemont voters have said 'no' to cannabis dispensaries in village boundaries. A referendum question was put on the ballot Tuesday asking voters to decide if cannabis dispensaries should be allowed in Lemont.

1,950 residents said no to dispensaries, while 1,500 voted yes.

You can find the unofficial results of the referendum below:

13 out of 14 precincts reporting:

Yes - 1,500

No - 1,950

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The issue plagued Lemont for months, with the village board originally considering allowing dispensaries, before many residents spoke out against allowing dispensaries in town.

The village then held several town halls and meetings over several months, and eventually decided to opt out and put forth a referendum question to voters about the issue.

The question voters saw on the ballot was:

Shall the village of Lemont, in counties of Cook, Will and DuPage, Illinois allow the operation of a recreational cannabis (marijuana) dispensary within its jurisdiction?

Despite state law, municipalities can choose to opt out of allowing cannabis businesses. If a town does choose to opt out, it can adopt local ordinances to prohibit cannabis businesses in village boundaries. However, a town cannot prohibit the actual use of cannabis in its boundaries. In December, the village of Lemont had voted to opt out of allowing dispensaries and decided to put forth a referendum question to see what residents wanted.

Mayor John Egofske called the issue of allowing a recreational cannabis in Lemont "a money issue."

"We have debt that consists of bonds, we have debt that consists of unfunded pension liability," Egofske said at a December village board meeting.

The village said it decided the board wanted to continue to assess community input on the issue and see the benefits and effects of the legislation. The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act became law on June 25, 2019, and went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

Lemont isn't the only community who decided to ask voters what they wanted. In October, nearby Naperville also decided to put forth a cannabis dispensary referendum question. Several neighboring communities around Lemont chose to opt out last year including Lockport, Homer Glen, Bolingbrook, Downers Grove and Orland Park. Joliet, Romeoville and Aurora allow dispensaries.