Goodbye and good riddance to this debate
Saturday, Jun 1, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’m really happy that I don’t have to write about this bill any more…
Illinois is likely to become the 11th state to allow small amounts of marijuana for recreational use after the Democratic-controlled House on Friday sent a legalization plan to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who campaigned on the issue.
* I’m elated that I no longer have to endure silly arguments like this…
State Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, talked about the negative health effects of the drug. He brought out props to the House floor: An egg and a pan.
“This is your brain,” DeLuca said as he cracked an egg into a frying pan. “There it is folks. This is your brain on drugs. So today for my family, for my children, for your family, of your children, and especially for African American and Hispanic communities, vote no.”
State Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, immediately stood in support of the measure and to “refute some of the what I call nonsense that we heard including wasting eggs that should have been used to make a souffle or something instead of making a ridiculous point that has been outdated for over 30 years.”
* I defintely won’t miss the over-hyped nonsense…
“If this bill passes, a giant, big-money industry will commercialize another harmful, addictive drug in our state,” said Rep. Marty Moylan, a Des Plaines Democrat and outspoken opponent of legalization.
* And the “I’m not saying, I’m just saying” crud…
Violent crime has increased in Colorado, Alaska, Oregon and Washington state at rates higher than the national average since those states legalized recreational use, said Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis.
He said it’s unclear whether marijuana played a role in violent crime rising in those states. But he said Illinois should delay legalization until more is known.
* And the “We just need more time” pleas…
State Rep. Tom Morrison, a Republican who opposed the legislation, said the state isn’t prepared.
“Our law enforcement agencies do not support this. They are not ready for this and don’t have the capabilities to enforce this,” he said in a statement.
* “We need more studies”…
“The idea that there’s no studies out there on this stuff or that we think we have the answers on this stuff, is pretty appaling that we’re rushing into this,” said state Rep. Mark Batnick (R-Plainfield). “I know this has been out there for a while. I know the sponsor has worked on it for a long time, but my goodness there seems to be a lot of red flags on this issue.”
-30-
- Pot calling kettle - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:12 am:
==“Our law enforcement agencies do not support this. They are not ready for this and don’t have the capabilities to enforce this,” ==
It seems to me that this will reduce the burden on law enforcement. Some things that were illegal now are not. Other things that were illegal still are. There are no new things to enforce and a shorter list of things that are not legal.
- Bruce (no not him) - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:12 am:
Oh, but now we get the “See, I told you so” from both sides.
- Siriusly - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:16 am:
Bruce - the “I told you so” will happen every time someone using is involved in any sort of crime.
Funny that those same people don’t find that correlation relevant when it comes to guns and gun crimes.
- lakeside - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:17 am:
==cracked an egg into a frying pan==
Oh bless him. He remembers the metaphor was about frying your brain, right?
Actually, weed just having your brain sit there, not doing a whole lot or bothering anybody, sounds about right.
- Annonin' - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:30 am:
The next bill you get to write about is the ban on “drug free” workplaces
- tellitlikeitis - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:30 am:
Pot calling kettle is right. Legalizing cannabis is really pro-law enforcement because it frees up police from time wasted on minor pot offenses to go after the violent criminals, who are actually hurting other innocent people. If pot smokers were hurt anyone, it is only themselves Legalizing pot was a no-brainer…glad most legislators saw it that way! Now it will be interesting to see which cities are dumb enough to opt out of it.
- walker - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:39 am:
The real impact of this bill on criminal justice, and especially expungements of old convictions, makes this a social justice bill, way beyond other states.
- wordslinger - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:39 am:
– Violent crime has increased in Colorado, Alaska, Oregon and Washington state at rates higher than the national average since those states legalized recreational use, said Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis.
He said it’s unclear whether marijuana played a role in violent crime rising in those states. But he said Illinois should delay legalization until more is known.–
You know what is clear, Rep. Windhorst?
That Prohibition led to a murderous black market in marijuana.
Illegal black-market drug dealers in your district have included former Gallatin County Sheriff Raymond Martin, who used to go about armed and deal weed out of his county prowler on the taxpayer dime, and plotted to murder witnesses against him.
That’s a pretty scary crime wave, when armed law enforcement are the drug dealers, cashing in on the illegal black market.
Won’t have to worry about that happening again.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil/pr/life-sentences-former-gallatin-county-sheriff-will-stand-says-federal-court-appeals
- Johnnie F. - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:46 am:
Thanks for all the excellent reading and education you provided on this topic! I am so thrilled to see this come about. I agree with the recreational aspects of cannabis, but this law will simply allow people to judge for themselves additional medical benefits for their individual health. The specific conditions allowed in our current medical program are very restrictive (I still hope additional conditions are added). I was very disappointed to hear Rep. Mazzochi attempt to say more study was needed, just like more study was needed for opioid use. Umm…I think we knew opioids were addictive and the medical profession made the deliberate decision to promote addictive pain relief options for patients rather than advocate for other options like non-addictive cannabis.
- Illinifan - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:47 am:
I don’t think legalizing recreational drugs is good for society. I understand alcohol and tobacco aren’t either, but adding hallucinations to the mix isn’t a good thing IMO.
- PJ - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:51 am:
==adding hallucinations to the mix isn’t a good thing IMO.==
This cant be serious.
- Cirion - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:51 am:
My concern is how to correctly determine if someone is under the influence while driving. Are roadside test possible for pot that can determine whether someone is high?
- LBJ - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 11:51 am:
Hey, Man:
Why not crack open those same eggs and make a tasty oemlette with some peppers, shrooms, throw in some onions, maybe some jalapenos, add a few onions, oh, I already said that, add some peppers and make an omelette.
- Cirion - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 12:00 pm:
BTW, the egg in the frying pan analogy needs a hot pan to fry. I’m sure the Rep didn’t bring a stove into the assembly so all he was doing was freeing the egg from it’s shell.
- Generic Drone - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 12:00 pm:
I know. I know. We will all get stoned and die tragically in a car pile up at 5mph if this is allowed to go forward.
- wordslinger - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 12:02 pm:
–.. but adding hallucinations to the mix isn’t a good thing IMO.–
LOL, I don’t think that’s weed you’re on, dude.
- Rich Miller - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 12:08 pm:
===This cant be serious===
Another aspect of this debate I despise is the people who fully accept ancient government propaganda without being curious enough to look for real answers on their own.
- Not a Billionaire - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 12:21 pm:
I heard a national taking head say half of all prisoners are in for drugs. How many Illinois? Also every little county didn’t need a prison for things that are no longer crimes. Agenda item for ptax task force.
- SpfdNewb - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 12:25 pm:
-Another aspect of this debate I despise is the people who fully accept ancient government propaganda without being curious enough to look for real answers on their own.-
The mental health fallacies used in Reefer Madness were making a comeback during the floor debates. TBH, it really upset me as someone with family who suffers from paranoid delusions.
- vole - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 12:29 pm:
For all the studies out there on this stuff, you would have thought those waving the red flags would have cracked the books on the studies instead of eggs. Just saying no eases the burden on their brains.
- Unpopular - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 12:33 pm:
50 years from now people will look at the proliferation of weed created by yesterdays tragic action and wonder what everyone was thinking.
The profiteering that will come from peddling dope will enrich a few, but the outcome will look no different than what has been wrought by cigarettes.
But Illinois is gonna Illinois, and this is really no surprise in a state that has no interest in taking the work of Governing seriously.
- Pelonski - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 12:35 pm:
We will have to live through the same arguments when decriminalization hits the federal level, but that could be decades from now.
- TheInvisibleMan - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 1:01 pm:
Why does Batinick(spelled wrong in the article) sound like he thinks the state will be forcing people to consume cannabis?
But I’m curious about one thing. How he can justify its current illegality without any of those studies?
It turns out the most dangerous thing about cannabis, is being arrested for having cannabis.
- Grandson of Man - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 1:05 pm:
Yesterday was the beginning of the end of Reefer Madness and its long-lived misinformation and paranoia, deliberate or not.
“50 years from now people will look at the proliferation of weed created by yesterdays tragic action and wonder what everyone was thinking.”
Marijuana is everywhere now and has been widespread for decades, with kids getting access with no restrictions and often from distribution chains that involve violent criminal organizations. But that’s okay for the prohibitionists—including those who hate Chicago and want to separate it from the rest of the state. I’m so glad that starting yesterday, it’s the beginning of the end for people like these to stop responsible adults from using something less dangerous than alcohol and guns.
- Pundent - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 1:22 pm:
Unpopular- This is the epitome of governing. Guy runs on a popular issue, gets elected, issue passes with bipartisan votes. If this isn’t governing what is? Passing laws only supported by you?
- Responsa - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 1:39 pm:
I’m surprised nobody is worried about uneven corn rows from farmers toking out in the fields. Be on alert for this “tell” as you drive up and down I-57 next summer.
- Roadiepig - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 1:48 pm:
Still waiting for one of the reps who are calling for “more studies” to actually study about the deaths cause by tobacco and alcohol . If they are truly worried about their constituents health they should be filling new bills to ban the sales of these real killers / s?
- anon2 - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 2:16 pm:
== the outcome will look no different than what has been wrought by cigarettes.==
Current tobacco policy is a model for how to regulate a recreational drug. Cigarette use is declining, and smoking is less and less socially acceptable. So it is possible, though not inevitable, to have a legal recreational drug that is less and less popular. Of course that requires an aggressive educational campaign to counter industry marketing. It also requires various restrictions that prioritize public health above profits and revenues.
- Harvest76 - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 2:23 pm:
“Are there any studies?”
“Yes, many international…”
“No, US studies”
**huuuge eyeroll**
- Harvest76 - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 2:34 pm:
@unpopular, shouldn’t you be packing?
- OneMan - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 2:54 pm:
I for one will miss Uncle Rich’s Cannabis Roundup
- JoanP - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 4:00 pm:
=Our law enforcement agencies do not support this. They are not ready for this =
HOW long have we been talking about legalization? If they’re not ready, it’s only because they’ve been sitting on their duffs pretending that it wouldn’t happen.
- Kentucky Bluegrass x Featherbed Bent x Northern California Sinsemilla - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 4:46 pm:
Cannabis legalization is a strange issue in that you can get some odd bedfellows with Libertarians and Liberals agreeing on the need for this policy change. It almost made too much sense so the opposition had to result to red herrings, absurdities and just outright lies. But that is exactly how the plant became illegal so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the opposition had to continue to use those tactics.
- BBallBoss - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 5:05 pm:
Thanks for all the great reporting, Rich. I hadn’t had a need for your in depth legislative reporting until this bill. You provide a genuine service to the voting public. I’m happy for our state that we can finally allow people to make their own decisions, prevent the disproportionate punishment of drug laws, and provide real revenue and services to the state. It’s a great day for Illinois.
- Honestabe - Saturday, Jun 1, 19 @ 5:20 pm:
Unpopular I respect your opinion and you may be right but, at least for now it will become legal in this state. It’s not the end of world and no our state hasn’t lost their mind but, finally passed a bill to give people the freedom to do something quite a few are already doing. We will wait to see what the ramifications will be in the future. I know of people who could not get a medical card are now going to be able to see if they can benefit from Cannabis.