Weyermuller: Chicago's cannabis shops open; "Keep Calm and Carry On"

By Mark Weyermuller -

The City of Chicago goes on a mandatory lockdown with a “stay at home” order issued by Governor Pritzker starting Saturday afternoon at 5:00 PM. The order allows only “essential” jobs and travel. It looks like more of a voluntary order as hundreds of jobs are exempt.  

Grocery stores, liquor stores, hardware stores, hospitals, and restaurants with carry out will remain open. Public transportation, cabs, and Uber will continue to operate, with no road closures.  Media is exempt from the shelter in place order.

And just announced, Binny’s Beverage Depot will remain open. So will all Illinois cannabis stores.

Friday there was brisk business at the Sunnyside cannabis shop located at 3710 North Clark Street, just a block north of Wrigley Field.

Outside, there was a line of 65 people stretching around the corner with people keeping a six-foot social distance. It appears the law of gatherings of ten or more does not apply there.Publish

Saturday, there was no line outside, but customers appeared to be going in and out. In addition, the governor changed the rules, so curbside pick up is now available. A friend of mine said, “it’s like the good old days when we bought weed on the corner.”

Today, several grocery stores appeared busy. Yesterday, Walmart in Skokie was pretty normal with no waiting for me in self check out. They had milk, eggs, orange juice, bread, paper towels but no toilet paper. The shortage of toilet paper is very hard to explain.

I estimate 1 in 20 people at Walmart were wearing masks.  All employees were wearing gloves but I saw none wearing masks. Walmart has cut their store hours to now closing at 8:30 p.m.

I’m concerned for my mom (92 years old) who lives in a Chicago area nursing home with 85 other residents. It’s a memory care facility, which is a new term for Alzheimer’s and dementia. Visitors are no longer allowed.

 

Last Thursday I saw my mom through the window. As of today, they are now quarantining residents on some of the floors to limited contact. They can no longer bring her to the window. Each employee is having their temperature taken upon entering the building. They are only allowing one resident per table during meals and using only paper plates and plastic utensils. They encourage using Skype or Facetime for visits until the crisis passes.

 

This photo from last Tuesday before the full quarantine started.  I was able to visit through the window. Multiple precautions are being taken.

 

 

Nobody has seen anything like this in my lifetime.  I am concerned about the economic impact on Chicago that already is suffering from job loss and population declines.  You can add the issues of poor schools, high crime, the pension mess, and high property taxes.

 

I’m confident we will get through this. Hopefully this will be a wake up call to adjust what government does and the amount they take in various taxes. Freedom, liberty, and opportunity has to be encouraged and supported.  I’m advising people to “Keep Calm and Carry on.”  

 

Again, it’s important to be positive and optimistic along with uniting as Americans.