By: Timothy Black
It’s high time Illinois joins the blitz of states legalizing recreational cannabis. Earlier this month, with the swearing-in of J.B. Pritzker as the State’s 43rd Governor, “the conversation has shifted from ‘if’ to ‘when” recreational cannabis will be legalized, as Jaclyn Driscoll of WNIU bluntly stated. To that end, the joint team of Chicago’s State Senator Heather Steans and Chicago’s State Representative Kelly Cassidy hosted a Town Hall Meeting in Springfield on January 28th to lay out the terms they plant to roll into a Bill to be introduced to the General Assembly, and to field questions about their proposal.
Central to their proposal for legalizing recreational cannabis is a set of rules designed to promote responsible use among adults. Specifically, if the bill does not go up in smoke, adults 21 years of age and older would be allowed to possess up to 30 grams and grow up to 5 plants of marijuana. Unlike alcohol, marijuana “bars” would be prohibited, but similar to alcohol, teenagers caught driving under the influence of cannabis would not only be charged with DUI but would also lose driving privileges.
A secondary, and equally important goal of legalizing recreational cannabis is to lay the groundwork for undoing some of the destruction caused by the War on Drugs and its policies. To achieve that, the law would automatically expunge the records of low-level marijuana possession and dealing convictions. Then, the tax revenue would fund community development and impoverished neighborhoods.
While the bill has yet to be introduced, its merits will be debated ad nauseum. Stay tuned to LauraLaw for more updates on the battle for legalizing recreational cannabis. We will continue to try to clear the haze and give you the facts along the way.
In the meantime, if you have a criminal record of any kind, we here at LauraLaw advocate that you look into the sealing or expungement of that record. If you are eligible, it’s best practice not to wait. We can be to your criminal record what Visine is to your eyes. Contact us now for a consultation and we will be happy to help guide you through the arduous process. Likewise, if you have been charged with any crime – cannabis-related or not – contact us immediately for a consultation.
