Illinois lawmakers are considering legalizing recreational marijuana. Opponents voiced their concerns during a recent forum with the measure's sponsor.
In St. Charles North High School, State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) outlined proposals of theCannabis Regulation and Taxation Act.
“What we're proposing is that residents 21 years and older could purchase and possess up to 30 grams of cannabis [and] that for out-of-state residents, it would only be 15 grams that they could possess,“ said Steans.
The Democrat says social justice is a major focus of the Act.
“We're doing diversity in the industry, which no state has done successfully. And we're doing 25% of the dollars back to neighborhoods that have been disproportionately impacted by the War On Drugs,” said Steans.
The bill was first filed earlier this year by Steans and State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago).
“We have met with numerous, hundreds of stakeholders, people who both support the bill and those who we know will never support the bill, to seek input on it,” said Steans. “And then just last week, we actually introduced the bill to legalize after getting that kind of input.”
The Act provides for accessibility to criminal record expungement for those with possession charges of less than 500 grams, and includes provisions that would allow for some people to grow their own at home.
Steans said she expects aspects of the plan, which is supported by Governor J.B. Pritzker, to be amended with consideration for heavy feedbackprovided since the rollout.
“Our session ends by the end of May. And we'll see whether or not we have a vote to move it and try to pass the bill by the end of May,” said Steans.
Critics like McHenry County State's Attorney Patrick Kenneally, who joined Steans at the recent forum, have raised concern with aspects of the measure.
Presenting state comparisons from Colorado and Washington, Kenneally said the bill doesn’t restrict usage to underage persons enough and legalization is “morally problematic." It isn’t the right time to open the door to cannabis use, he said: “Wait and further consider this,” he said.
Kenneally and Steans agreed that minorities, such as African Americans, are incarcerated at an increased ratefor cannabis-related offenses than those who are white. But Kenneally doesn’t draw a line between decriminalization and social justice.
“There's a whole notion of driving while black,” said Kenneally during the recent forum. “Which is the idea -- and it has been verified by studies -- that African Americans are more prone to get pulled over for petty traffic stops. Does that mean that we make speeding legal? Does that mean that we allow people to run stop signs? No, that's not good logic,” he said.
Kenneally said many cannabis-related medical benefits are unfounded and challenged Illinois’ most recent expansion of the medical marijuana program into the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program.
“Using marijuana to fight opioids is an enormous mistake,” said Kenneally, noting his county'shigh opioid overdose rates. “The response to opioids is a community gathering around the person who's suffering from opioid substance abuse disorder, and providing them with the services that they need, but also embedding them back in the community, not continuing to isolate them with drugs.”
The forum was hosted by Senator Don DeWitte (R-St.Charles), who said he’s against “this initiative.”
“Clearly there are people who are promoting this bill who have other concerns than dealing with the problems that this state really has to start addressing,” said DeWitte, citing concern that expungement efforts go too far and that not enough business revenue will be allocated to paying billions in backlogged state deficits.
“I would really much rather see that revenue going into [debt repayment] rather than into neighborhood social programs,” he said.
The Senator said grant funding should be more accessible to law enforcement, noting safety concerns over driving under the influence. Kenneally echoes DeWitte’s safety concerns.
“I would encourage people to get educated on the subject and then contact their representatives so that this doesn't just sort of fly under the radar and pass because people have sort of a fatalistic view on it,” said Kenneally.
Details of the recreational bill might change in the coming days while supporters and opponents bring their voices to the table and to the public.