CHICAGO – Officials suggest nearly 800,000 criminal records could be cleared next year, when the Illinois law goes into effect legalizing recreational marijuana. Tuesday, Governor JB Pritzker signed into law the measure effective January 1, 2020.
Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) says she’s proud of the bill that is cutting-edge policy included in the measure she helped write.
“We estimate that there are 770,000 records that are eligible for expungement. That’s more than every other state that’s legalized adult use combined,” Steans said.
"The state of Illinois just made history, legalizing adult-use cannabis with the most equity-centric approach in the nation," Governor Pritzker said in a statement issued Tuesday. "This will have a transformational impact on our state, creating opportunity in the communities that need it most and giving so many a second chance."
Pritzker then applauded bipartisan members of the General Assembly for their vote on this legislation and especially Senator Steans and Representative Cassidy, as well as Senator Hutchinson, Senator Aquino, Leader Gordon-Booth, Representative Villanueva, the Black and Latino Caucuses, and Republican Senator Barickman and Representative Welter.
The Democrats that led the effort — with the help of a couple of Republicans in both chambers — told Rolling Stone that their emphasis in the bill's construction was social justice for minorities that have suffered throughout the decades in the War on Drugs.
Illinois' new law will provide $30 million in grants and loans to minority cannabis business owners, and 20 percent of the new licenses will go to people of color, as part of an effort to shrink the white majority of marijuana business owners. Twenty-five percent of the marijuana sales' tax revenue will aid minority communities.
Illinois residents over the age of 21 will be permitted to possess up to 30 grams of cannabis, and out-of-staters will be allowed to possess up to 15 grams. Medical marijuana patients will be allowed to grow five plants at home. Cannabis flower that has under 35 percent THC will be taxed at 10 percent, products that contain over 35 percent THC (like vape oils and other concentrates) will be taxed at 25 percent, and cannabis-infused products will be taxed at 20 percent.
The "high while driving" standard is still a topic of discussion for law enforcement.
While Illinois is headed in one direction, in contrast, the state of New York rejected legalizing recreational marijuana last week.
