Cannabis dispensary in Northfield — delayed since 2022 — to open this week

About two years after initial projections, BLOC Cannabis Dispensary is ready to open in Northfield.

In an email, project manager Kate Kanichirayil announced that BLOC’s first day will be Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 161 N. Waukegan Road in Northfield. The business’s hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday.

BLOC will host a grand opening celebration from 5-8 p.m. on Nov. 15.

Alexzandra Fields, president of BLOC parent company Justice Cannabis Co., said her team is excited to bring their dispensary to Northfield.

Northfield trustees gave a green light to BLOC in March 2022, just about a year after the board voted to allow cannabis dispensaries within village limits, under certain conditions.

The approval allowed Renu IL, an affiliate of Justice Cannabis Company, to operate BLOC Cannabis Dispensary at 161 Waukegan Road, a former bank location that had been unused since 2020. Renu has entered into a leasing agreement with Northfield Waukegan LLC to operate the dispensary. The location is on the border of Northfield and Glenview.

Trustees cited financial benefits as the primary reason to move BLOC forward, despite facing substantial resident pushback. Members of the public expressed concerns about traffic, property values and the dispensary’s proximity to schools, specifically Christian Heritage Academy, which is about a mile north at 315 Waukegan Road.

The dispensary was initially supposed to open at the end of 2022. Fields said opening a dispensary is a complicated process and takes more time and resources than many expect.

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