Illinois OKs Decriminalizing Possession of Small Amounts of Pot
Possession of small amounts of marijuana is now a civil offense across Illinois, punishable only by fines — not jail time.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation decriminalizing small amounts of pot on Friday, after vetoing a bill last year that sought to allow slightly larger amounts.
Chicago has already joined more than 100 Illinois local governments in removing some criminal penalties for people caught with lesser amounts of marijuana. But the new law extends decriminalization to the entire state.
Supporters heralded it as a “commonsense” reform that will keep “countless citizens from having their lives turned upside down” by an arrest for using a drug “safer than alcohol.”
But one conservative group predicted the new law will lead to increased drug use and addiction and send a “troubling” message to pot users and dealers by giving “tacit consent to engage in this destructive behavior.”
Rauner’s office announced the bill...
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