Editor's Note: I'm with Batavia City Administrator Bill McGrath in this concept weirds me out. But unlike McGrath, I actually will use the term "pay to play." It's one thing to charge fees for business appellations and licenses, and obviously businesses have to pay taxes. But to charge them a percentage of net earnings? Wha? And, again, we're talking about medicine for sick people! Do pharmacies have to fork over proceeds? Maybe Illinois should just legalize marijuana altogether and make it a state-run business so they can reap all the profits.
Those who want in on Illinois' fledgling medical marijuana industry are wooing local communities to let them operate within their borders – in some cases promising donations to local organizations or a cut of the profits.
Monday is the deadline for businesses to apply for state licenses, and among the many provisions for potential operators is that they have local approval for a place to grow or sell medical cannabis and can point to "community benefits."
Competition for approved sites has gotten so intense that some municipalities are requiring that businesses pay them a cut of their revenues if they want local support.
