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Lincoln aldermen prepared to vote
on recreational marijuana next week
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 [September 12, 2019]
At the upcoming voting session of the Lincoln City Council on
Monday, September 16th, aldermen may vote on up to two motions
pertaining to recreational marijuana.
The first motion will be a general vote allowing or denying the
right for marijuana dispensaries to establish businesses in the city
for the sale of recreational marijuana. If the first vote is
approved, a second motion may be entertained establishing a three
percent local sales tax on products sold at the dispensaries.
At the Tuesday night Committee of the Whole meeting this week,
aldermen determined that they had heard sufficient arguments for and
against recreational marijuana and while there was not a consensus
among the aldermen, they believe the only thing left to do is take
the vote and abide by the decisions of the majority.
Public participation
The Tuesday evening meeting began with public comments. Those
speaking included Paul Alan Carder, Wanda Lee Rohlfs, Kelly Crooks,
and Allison Rumler-Gomez.
Carder repeated comments from previous meetings saying he was in
favor of having a local dispensary where he can purchase the product
he needs for medicinal purposes. He added that he does not believe
marijuana is addictive and leads to harder drug usage based on the
fact that he was a recreational user in his earlier years and it did
not lead to harder additions for him.
Rohlfs had concerns about the minutes of the last city council
meeting. She said that the council’s recording secretary Alex
Williams had misinterpreted her statements. She said the minutes
read in such a way as to lead readers to believe that the experience
she had with a young female student while a teacher in Lincoln had
occurred at the school and that Rohlfs had not reported the
incidents and her suspicions that the student was on drugs to school
officials. She noted that would have been terribly wrong and she
wanted it clarified that the exchange between her and the student,
and Rohlfs subsequent actions had occurred after school hours at
Rohlfs home.
Mental health information
Kelly Crooks had been chosen by Don Cavi of the Logan County
Department of Public Health and by Allison Rumler-Gomez who sits on
the Mental Health Advisory Committee with the LCDPH to speak as a
mental health professional. The city had requested last week to hear
from a mental health professional. Alderman Ron Keller had done the
follow-up on that request speaking with Cavi and ultimately
arranging for Crooks to address the council.
Crooks is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with SIU Medicine and
Memorial Health System. Crooks began saying she has been working in
mental health since 2012 and has worked for Chestnut Health Systems
as well as Gateway, working with mental health and drug dependency.
She said that her experiences with the use of marijuana indicate
that the product is helpful to patients on the short term. She said
there was no proof that the drug was helpful in the long term. She
cited studies indicate long term use can increase metal health
issues in patients suffering depression or Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD).
She said in teenagers marijuana is known to cause mental health
issues and when smoked can also cause respiratory issues.
Kevin Bateman asked about her use of the words “long term.” He
wanted to know if the long term use was also daily use. He said that
in the case of recreational marijuana consumers would not
necessarily be using the product on a daily basis.
She said she was referring to daily usage, but also people who use
the marijuana “like a crutch” instead of “learning how to use proper
coping skills such as journaling or anything else we discuss. A lot
of people tend to reach for the cannabis. Whenever the cannabis no
longer works, they increase their usage, which turns into Cannabis
Use Disorder. When that no longer works, they turn to something
stronger.” She said it is the same effect with tobacco that can calm
down stress, but people end up increasing their tobacco usage to get
the same effect.
Steve Parrott asked Crooks to repeat her credentials. Crooks said
that she has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and is studying for
her Clinical Psychology Doctorate. Parrott asked if she has the
opportunity to work with medical professionals. Crooks said she does
and is currently working with a medication assisted treatment
program in Springfield.
Parrott asked about the demographic of her patients. She said she
worked with patients from three years old to 99.
He asked if the use of marijuana was really helpful to her patients.
Crooks said it was in certain circumstances such as panic attacks,
where marijuana can help calm them back down. She added that it is
beneficial and best used with people who are not genetically
pre-disposed to addiction or dependency.
Parrott said he was hoping for a medical opinion as well as a mental
health opinion. Crooks said she had no medical background so she
couldn’t help there. She added that she was not in attendance to
offer an opinion but simply to state the facts.
Parrott went on to say he had hoped for that medical opinion because
he thinks a medical professional would say that drug usage is not
good.
Allision Rumler-Gomez
The next person to speak was Rumler-Gomez. While Rumler-Gomez is on
the Mental Health Advisory Board, she was not there to offer a
professional opinion. She said that Crooks had handled that very
well. She was however there to offer a personal opinion. She said
that what this issue comes down to is a question of values. She
noted she was a Logan County native who had left the area and
returned. And when she returned she came back to enjoy the values of
the community and to appreciate “what I see, hear, and smell, and
what I wanted for my kids to see hear and smell. What I did not see,
hear and smell was a pot dispensary on every corner.” She said the
community she wanted to live in was one that valued family and
valued feeling safe.
Keller thanked Cavi, Rumler-Gomez and Crooks for their assistance in
discussing the topic. He added that he has great faith in the LCDPH
and that he is confident that the department will have the proper
response to whatever action the council takes.
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Discussion of motion to permit recreational marijuana
dispensaries in Lincoln
After Rumler Gomez finished, the council moved on to their COW
agenda. The topic of marijuana came back later in the evening.
Bateman at that time said that City Attorney John Hoblit has drafted
the appropriate ordinance for the council's consideration and he
would ask that the vote be placed on next week’s agenda. Tracy Welch
said that he felt that the topic has been thoroughly discussed, so
yes it was time to take the vote.
Parrott asked about a county meeting on the same topic.
Bateman said that the topic had been discussed at the Regional
Planning Commission. Bateman and Keller serve on that commission as
city representatives. The commission also has other representatives
from throughout Logan County. The talk was that the county is going
to consider the same options that the city is being asked to
consider.
Bateman said the crux of the issue comes down to the county having
authority over properties within the geographical confines of the
city that have not been annexed into the city. Those properties are
under county jurisdiction and the county can choose to permit
recreational marijuana sales on those properties without the city’s
consent.
Kathryn Schmidt wondered if that were the real case, could the
county create rules that the city did not approve of for areas
within the city of Lincoln. Hoblit said the county was well within
its rights to establish allowances for dispensaries within the
county. He added that if those permits were issued in conflict with
the city “then we do have a bit of a conundrum.” He said he would do
further research on that specific topic and get back to the council.
Parrott said that he had heard ‘reports’ that during that regional
planning meeting it had been stated that Lincoln Police Chief Paul
Adams is in support of allowing the dispensaries. Parrott said he
didn’t recall Adams ever saying he supported this, and that
accepting it was different from supporting it. Adams had commented
at one time that the city was going to see the recreational use come
to Lincoln regardless of where the drug was purchased and therefore
perhaps the city should reap the tax revenue, because it was going
to be here anyway.
At the August meeting of the city council Adams offered the
following:
Parrott asked Police
Chief Paul Adams to comment from a law enforcement perspective.
Adams said that there will be increases in DUI’s no matter what. He
said people will drive under the influence. He added that regardless
of the rule of consumption in the home, there will be public
consumption. He anticipates an increase in robberies, as well as an
increase in black market sales. He added though that some of these
things will increase regardless of where the consumer purchases his
or her products.
He added that while the state is currently saying that the local law
enforcement will get a portion of the tax money, he hasn’t seen any
guarantee that will be the case.
Adams said his greater concern is for the mental health issues. He
said that those who are suffering from mental health issues, the
usage of marijuana may be what will “trip the trigger.”
Adams had also reported that the Illinois Police Chiefs organization
had urged the state not to legalize recreational marijuana, but the
state had not heeded their request.
Hoblit interjected that Adams had addressed the issue offering
information about the consequences and the reality of the situation,
but he did not voice support. He added that it would not have been
appropriate in his personal opinion for the chief to have offered
any personal opinion.
Keller said that he had been in that meeting and at no time did
anyone say Adams was in “support” of anything. He noted that the
information being put out there concerning this was “vastly
incorrect.”
Bateman agreed. He went on to say that he had talked with Sheriff
Mark Landers, who had echoed many of the same comments Adams
actually had made. Bateman said that the sheriff had basically said
“it’s already here, we’re going to have to deal with it no matter
what.” Landers had also said that the Illinois Sheriff’s Association
had asked the state not to pass these new laws, but the state had
done it anyway.
Bateman said it was also reported that he personally was “pushing
for this.” He said he wasn’t pushing for it, but he felt he was
elected to govern and that this was part of it. He said because the
drug is going to be legal state-wide, it is already here, and now
the city has the opportunity to govern it and have “some kind of
control or voice on where it goes, how many (dispensaries) go in,
where the money goes that is collected.”
Motion to tax sales of recreational marijuana at 3 percent
Speaking about the taxation, City Administrator Beth Kavelman said
she too had been at the regional meeting and the county is
considering a three and one-half percent tax while the city is
limited to three percent. Bateman said that the taxation must be
decided and voted on by October 1st.
Keller asked if there was any rules on the disbursement of the tax,
did the city have to earmark if for specific use. Hoblit said he had
not yet researched that part of the topic and wondered if city
treasurer Chuck Conzo could provide information. Conzo said he knew
that the state has designated its tax to certain cash pools, but he
was not aware if the state is going to require municipalities to do
the same. He and Hoblit agreed to work together to research that
portion of the new law and would deliver an answer to the council in
the near future.
With that short discussion concluded, it was agreed that both
motions would be presented on the agenda for voting Monday,
September 16th. The first motion will determine if the second motion
is even needed. If aldermen decide not to permit dispensaries within
the city, then they will have no right to taxes so the motion for
the three percent will not be needed.
[Nila Smith]
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