Relaxing the Laws On a Relaxing Drug
By Frank Toniny, June 27, 2019
Harbinger Student Media has done a fair share of coverage on marijuana and its properties this past school year, but there is more to be said due to recent developments. Those developments being that Illinois has officially become the 11th state in the US to legalize recreational marijuana. What does this legalization mean for the state and its residents? Residents 21 and up may carry up to 30 grams (or 1 ounce) on them and nonresidents can have up to 15 grams on their person.
J. B. Pritzker signed the legislation in hopes of helping the economy. Twenty five percent of the tax revenue from marijuana sales will go towards helping build and grow poor communities within the state. There is also the possibility that people with records of having or selling up to 30 grams will have those charges expunged. Nothing will go into effect for Illinois until January 1, 2020.
Part of the hopes with this legalization is to destigmatize racial stereotypes associated with cannabis. “African Americans are arrested for violating marijuana possession laws at nearly four times the rates of whites, yet both ethnicities consume marijuana at roughly the same rates” (NORML). Part of the plan is to preference possible vendors in high poverty areas with a high-conviction rate and members of minority groups. Another part of the plan is to use any extra money from the taxes to fund drug treatments and enforcement plans. Many people hope that Illinois’s legislation will help lead other states to do the same.
Sources:
“Illinois approves legal weed, expunging criminal records for pot crimes” USA Today
“Illinois becomes 11th State to allow recreational marijuana” PJ Star