2 more marijuana dispensaries opening this week in McHenry County

Crystal Lake is now home to two marijuana dispensaries now that Spark’d Cannabis has officially opened this week.

Spark’d Cannabis is located at 330 N. Route 31 in the former Pablo’s Mexican restaurant. It opened on Tuesday and will be hosting a grand opening and ribbon cutting on Thursday.

The first day has seen success, despite only notifying the public about the opening online.

“We had a little line at the door,” Spark’d Marketing Director Rachel Ibrahim said. “It was really nice to see that people stay and are following us.”

Discounts for veterans, medical card holders and people over the age of 60 are permanently offered at the dispensary.

Another Spark’d dispensary in Richmond opened in August and has a marijuana consumption lounge. The lounge has a “coffee shop” atmosphere. Even being located right next to the police station, customers and staff feel safe and supported, Ibrahim said.

“We’re paving the way for people to feel comfortable in a space where they can smoke,” she said.

The new Crystal Lake location, however, will not have a consumption lounge.

Spark’d, which is owned by parent company Dispensary 33, has six locations in and around Chicago, all of which opened this year, Ibrahim said. A seventh location in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood is expected to open in February.

This is the fifth dispensary to open in McHenry County, and the fourth to open this year alone. Ivy Hall in Crystal Lake, Vertical Dispensary in Cary and the Richmond Spark’d location all opened in 2023. RISE in Lake in the Hills has been open since 2021.

The EarthMed dispensary in McHenry is set to open Friday, manager Jack Killackey said. EarthMed has locations in Addison and Rosemont; its newest dispensary will be at 1711 N. Richmond Road in McHenry.

The explosion of marijuana shops in McHenry County has drawn the ire of State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally, who has threatened lawsuits against dispensaries that don’t post signs warning about the risks to mental health of cannabis consumption.

Crystal Lake’s Ivy Hall is located on Pingree Road, just over two miles from the new Spark’d dispensary.

Spark’d hopes to set itself apart from other dispensaries by focusing on educating customers, both new to the drug and frequent users.

“We educate not only our staff but we want our staff to be educating our customers, as well,” she said. “Kind of walking through what they need to feed their souls.”