Illinois Legalizes Marijuana, Expunges Criminal Records, Puts “Minorities” First In Line for Marijuana Business Licenses
The state of Illinois has forged ahead of all other states which are attempting to finally end the disastrous War on Drugs. Decriminalization and medicinal use of marijuana have been in effect for some time in Illinois. But efforts to bite the bullet and fully legalize the drug have been hampered by skittish Republican legislators and moralizing GOP governors in the recent past.
But Illinois’ rookie Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker has not only signed a bill legalizing recreational use and possession of marijuana, but the same bill expunges convictions for marijuana use/possession of up to thirty grams for almost 315,000 people who face nearly 800,000 marijuana cases.
Set to take effect on January 1, 2020, unlike any other laws or proposals anywhere else, HB 1438 makes the specific point of opening Illinois’ budding (pun very much intended) marijuana industry to those folks who have traditionally been most harmed by America’s racist drug laws. That means…
