The Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, is set to sign a bill that will legalize recreational marijuana in the state.
If it happens, Illinois will be the first state to make recreational marijuana legal through legislature and it will be the 11th state to legalize marijuana.
The bill had been sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk Friday after the state House of Representatives approved it with a 66-47 vote, the first time a state legislature in the United States has taken such action.
Pritzker has said he plans to sign the bill dubbed House Bill 1438.
“The state of Illinois just made history, legalizing adult-use cannabis with the most equity-centric approach in the nation,” Pritzker remarked on his Facebook page.
“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.”
Nearly 800,000 residents could benefit from the bill which will allow residents of Illinois convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana to petition to have their records expunged if the offense was not associated with a violent crime
“Decades of prohibition hasn’t stopped use, prohibition hasn’t made us safer.
Prohibition hasn’t built communities – in fact, it has destroyed them. Prohibition hasn’t created jobs, in fact, it has prevented people from finding work,” state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago. “Ending prohibition will allow us to bring this out of the shadows. Impose reasonable and thoughtful regulation and bring assurance of a tested and safer product.”
“Illinois will have one of the largest adult-use markets in the country,” stated Charlie Bachtell, CEO of Cresco Labs.
