CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The line has been long outside the Sunnyside Lakeview Dispensary in the Wrigleyville neighborhood since the early morning hours.
The North Side dispensary at 3812 N. Clark St. is owned by Cresco Labs, one of the largest multistate cannabis operators in the U.S. It's one of five dispensaries owned by the cannabis company, which has other Sunnyside locations in Elmwood Park, Champaign, Buffalo Grove and Rockford, Illinois.
Many customers, some who waited in line since 2 a.m. until 6 a.m. when the store opened, lined up to get their hands on cannabis flower, pre-rolled joints, vape pens and other products available at Sunnyside, like an assortment of edibles, including apple cinnamon cereal, birthday cake and blackberry lemonade. These products are part of the company's new retail line focused on health and wellness through cannabis.
Joe Caltabiano, co-founder and president of Cresco, said the company is keen on keeping up with customer demand.
"We just expanded our cultivation facility by 200,000 square feet," Caltabiano said. "We hope to stay ahead of the demands but you don't know what the demands are until you get here."
Hersey Richardson was among the hundreds in line at Sunnyside and expressed his excitement of the state's historic new law.
"Legalized marijuana is finally up to date," Richardson said. "We have been enjoying weed for a while and to see us able to enjoy it in our own private homes brings us together. We can have less arguments, and not to mention lower incarceration rates — that's very important."
