Illinois Recreational Marijuana Bill Passed the Senate

Illinois Recreational Marijuana Bill Passed the Senate

The 25th day of May 2019 is a historical date from here forward for Illinois.  The Senate, in a 30 -17 vote, passed a fresh cannabis bill for recreational use.  This bill sets up Illinois to be among a select few states to open up marijuana use for everyone over 21.  The proposition will allow 30 grams of cannabis, 5 grams of concentrate or 500 milligrams of THC contained in cannabis infused products for residents and for visitors of Illinois 15 grams of cannabis can be possessed.

Not only will this bill allow for the criteria already described going into the future, but there will be pardons for low level cannabis related charges.  This will be the first instance that a state takes their forward looking innovations and applies them to the past.  

Some key uses of the revenues will be broken down for the following uses: The largest share, 35%, would go into the state’s general fund; 25% would go to community grants; 20% to mental health and substance abuse programs; 10% to pay down the state’s backlog of unpaid bills; 8% to support law enforcement; and 2% for public education.

This is a huge step but there is one last hurdle Illinois must pass at this point. That is the House of Rep. 

 

McCoppin, Robert. "Legal recreational marijuana in Illinois a step closer after Senate vote; bill heads to House next" Chicago Tribune, 05/29/2019, www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-met-illinois-marijuana-legislation-senate-20190529-story.html

Image:   Corbett, Erin"Illinois Under Consideration as the Next Multibillion-Dollar Marijuana Market" Fortune, 03/11/2019, fortune.com/2019/03/11/illinois-multibillion-dollar-marijuana-market/