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  • Illinois Governor Introduces Marijuana Legalization Bill

    Illinois Governor Introduces Marijuana Legalization Bill

    The bill would also expunge the records of people convicted of some marijuana-related offenses. 

    Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has introduced a measure that would legalize recreational marijuana in the state next year, including in the nation’s third-largest city, Chicago.

    “It is possible, likely that it may be available through dispensaries beginning January 1, 2020,” Pritzker said, according to ABC 7.

    According to the Associated Press, the bill would legalize recreational cannabis use for people who are 21 or older. Illinois residents would be able to possess 30 grams of marijuana (about one ounce), while non-residents could possess 15 grams (about half an ounce). Marijuana would be sold at dispensaries throughout the state.

    In addition to legalizing cannabis, the bill would also expunge the records of people convicted of some marijuana-related offenses. 

    “This bill advances equity by providing resources and second chances to people and communities that have been harmed by policies such as the failed ‘war on drugs,’” said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.

    The bill would provide low-interest loans to people from communities that have been disproportionately affected by the prohibition on marijuana, or people who have had a marijuana-related offense that would be expunged under the new law and now want to start marijuana-related businesses. 

    Still, some organizations including the Illinois NAACP oppose legalization in the state, saying that it will do more harm to marginalized communities of color. 

    Kevin Sabet, founder and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said, “The consequences of this bill are far-reaching and will have devastating impacts on citizens, communities and youth. Illinois lawmakers must take a smart, commonsense approach, and not welcome in another addiction-for-profit industry into the state.”

    Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel seemed to support legalization, albeit with reservations. 

    “Thematically, philosophically I think I support the governor but I say it also as a father of three, that you have to do it in a way that’s not encouraging a type of behavior,” he said. 

    Chicago Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot is in favor of the bill. 

    “I think that the bill that was announced on Saturday is an important step forward, so I do support it,” she said. 

    Although Democrats control the state legislature and the bill is expected to pass, not everyone in the party is on board with legalization, said Democratic State Rep. Marty Moylan.

    “It’s important that we send a message to the state and the governor. Governor, we need more work on this. This is not a bill that we want,” Moylan said. 

    Pritzker initially said that legalizing marijuana would add $170 million in revenue to the state’s troubled budget, but later said that that number may be revised down. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • New Jersey Fails To Pass Marijuana Legalization

    New Jersey Fails To Pass Marijuana Legalization

    “Justice may be delayed, but justice will not be denied,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

    A planned vote to legalize recreational marijuana in New Jersey was cancelled Monday (March 25), when it became clear that the pro-legalization camp, led by Democratic Governor Philip Murphy, did not have enough votes to ensure that the measure passed. 

    “Certainly, I’m disappointed, but we are not defeated,” Murphy told The New York Times. “Justice may be delayed, but justice will not be denied.”

    President of the NJ Senate Stephen M. Sweeney, also a Democrat in favor of legalization, says he “might have underestimated the challenge in getting this passed.”

    Marijuana reform advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said that the unexpected cancelation of the vote was disappointing. 

    Amol Sinha, executive director of the New Jersey ACLU said, “Legalization is an urgent civil rights issue of our era, and it’s up to advocates in the coming weeks and month to make that urgency clear.”

    New Jersey’s legalization bill would have reserved 10% of marijuana licenses for small businesses, and made it possible to expunge criminal records online. As noted by the Times, the law would have erased the convictions of hundreds of thousands of minor drug offenders in a state where black residents are three times more likely as white residents to be arrested on marijuana charges. 

    “We have the widest white-nonwhite gap of persons incarcerated in America and far and away the biggest contributor is low-end drug offenses,” Murphy said recently. 

    Rev. Al Sharpton said that the progressive New Jersey bill was a “national model,” despite his worries about the social justice issues surrounding legalization. 

    “My concern had been that legal recreational marijuana has not dealt with the damage that has been disproportionately suffered by blacks and other people of color, and is just setting up people to make a lot of money,” he said. 

    This concern has been echoed by lawmakers in New York, where black lawmakers have vowed to oppose the state’s legalization efforts that do not do enough to address social inequities. 

    In New Jersey, some people, including Democratic lawmakers, were not convinced that the benefits of legalization were worth the risks.  

    Democrat state Senator Ronald L. Rice became one of the most outspoken opponents of the bill. 

    “The public has not properly been educated on the topic of recreational marijuana,” he said. “People don’t realize, particularly people in urban communities, how it will affect their lives. In urban communities, neighborhoods will struggle against the spread of ‘marijuana bodegas’ disguised as dispensaries.”

    New Jersey lawmakers will still be able to vote on the bill in the future. For now, the debate over recreational marijuana is likely to continue, with some leaders like Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora insisting that legalizing marijuana is the right thing to do.

    “Social justice and economic development go hand in hand,” he said. “I walk in the streets and talk to many constituents that talk about a prior record and how it’s a hindrance for them to get ahead, get a job.”

    View the original article at thefix.com