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Another decrim bill

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Illinois

* Press release…

Rep. Kelly Cassidy will hold a news conference Thursday to announce that she will introduce new legislation for 2016 that would replace criminal penalties with a civil fine for possession of a personal amount of marijuana in Illinois.

The news conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT in the Blue Room of the James R. Thompson Center. Rep. Cassidy will be joined by Rev. Alexander Sharp of Clergy for a New Drug Policy and other members of the Illinois faith community who believe the state’s current criminal penalties for marijuana possession are causing harm to their communities.

The new proposal will include provisions Gov. Bruce Rauner and a majority of the members of the General Assembly agreed to earlier this year. It will largely mirror legislation previously introduced by Rep. Cassidy that was approved in the Senate (37-19) on May 21 and in the House (62-53) on April 23, as well the amendments proposed by the governor when he vetoed the bill and returned it to the legislature on August 14.

OK, fine, but I’m still peeved that Rep. Cassidy didn’t simply accept the governor’s amendatory veto that even Illinois NORML said would be fine with them.

Hopefully, the new bill goes enough beyond Rauner’s amendatory veto to make it worth the wait.

But, really, decriminalization means people would still be buying an untaxed, illegal product from unlicensed, unlawful dealers. Cut out the criminal element and legalize it, fer cryin’ out loud. Plus, the state is a bit short these days and could use the bucks.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:21 am

Comments

I’m totally with you on that. Legalize it and tax it! Man could we solve some fiscal problems.

Comment by Honeybear Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:25 am
Wonder what the chances of legalizing it in Illinois?

Comment by sigh Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:25 am
Were any of Rauner’s AV’s accepted by Democrats?

Comment by Georg Sande Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:26 am
Yes, legalize it. Let’s utilize some logic for once.

Comment by illinoised Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:29 am
agree legalize it. as recently detailed in a Tribune article on crime and jails and prisons, we really can’t work our way out of the numbers incarcerated by decriminalizing or even legalizing. the numbers in on small offenses are very low. but we can make some needed money for government. besides, it’s a plant, come on!

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:32 am
sigh 11:25a:

I bet the chances of full legalization would be better than these timid half-measures.

Comment by Homer J. Quinn Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:40 am
Cassidy bucking NORML and Rauner was an “extreme” refusal to compromise.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:41 am
Legalize and tax *the holy hell* out of it, even more than cigarettes.

Comment by JB13 Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:42 am
Legalize it, and tax it to the extreme! WE NEED REVENUE!!!

Comment by Big Joe Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:50 am
Homer, exactamundo!

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:51 am
“Let’s light up and just move along.”

Comment by Hedley Lamarr Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:52 am
===Legalize it, and tax it to the extreme! WE NEED REVENUE!!!===

That is exactly why I lean more toward decriminalization than legalization. Thinking that grass is some sort of cash cow is faulty. Could it provide a little bit of revenue? Yes. But could you tax it so heavily that you end up with most people purchasing “legal” grass from “illegal” sources? Without a doubt.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:54 am
It’s painstaking, but it will attain some level of legalization in the not-so-distant future. It’s trending toward a more reasonable position here and elsewhere. Rep. Cassidy stood in the way of progress. Why? Anyone’s guess. Aside from casting long scars on lives full of potential, I firmly believe there are people suffering and in great need of relief, who don’t want to break the law. The sooner the better. The hurdles, no matter where they come from are a disservice to humanity and compassion.

Comment by A guy Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 11:55 am
legalize weed.

Neutralize the rackets at many levels.

(60 Minutes just covered rogue low-level drug enforcement units, this past Sunday night. They “convert” “confidential informants” by entrapping them with small amounts of weed, using a previously entrapped and converted confidential informant. Hard evidence presented of threats if parents told, resultant suicides, stress/anxiety, etc.
Why do the drug units do this? To increase their statistics to qualify for more grant money to pay for the latest big SUV, etc. … Very good investigative report)

Comment by cdog Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 12:07 pm
Baby steps, Rich, baby steps. This is Illinois you know?

Comment by qualified somebody nobody sent Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 12:16 pm
Pretty sure House Dems would be called out by you know who for voting to accept a Rauner AV. Remember this is an ‘epic struggle’.

Comment by Lincoln Lad Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 12:28 pm
Anyone who has bought legally in Colorado or Washington and looked at the receipt knows that you can tax at an absurdly high rate and people will gladly pay it.

Comment by LizPhairTax Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 12:30 pm
We should address all recreational drugs with a comprehensive approach. My problem with the generic “legalize it ” approach is that there will be a marketing budget to promote the use of the legal product.

I would prefer State distribution, through State stores, of moderately dangerous recreational drugs. Use a medical model for more dangerous drugs such as heroin. Keep a total ban on drugs such as meth or PCP. Also strengthen controls on prescription drugs that are diverted to recreational use.

One goal is to destroy the profitability of the illegal drug networks. Think like a businessman taking out a competitor.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 12:40 pm
I prefer full legalization but will gladly accept progress, with the hope that it will put Illinois closer to legalization.

I believe that with current legalization results and changing demographics, more states will legalize. The federal government must also legalize marijuana.

Colorado was recently racking up record monthly sales revenue, and its population is less than half the size of Illinois’.

America can unleash a huge industry with marijuana/hemp legalization.

Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 12:42 pm
I would hazard a guess that there are powerful industries which oppose cannabis, besides PTA groups. I am thinking of the Liquor Warehousemen’s Association, the Beer Distributors Association, and Big Pharma (patent medicine). They probably are leery of any additional competition.

Comment by Beaner Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 12:59 pm
I live in Colorado. Legal weed has not caused the world to end. Hasn’t diminished quality of life.

A few things I’ve noticed, for good or ill:

- When walking around Denver, I smell weed far more often than I did in Chicago, even though it’s illegal to smoke in public. This is, in part, due to the fact that there aren’t any public places where it can be smoked, only in private homes.

- Big increase in homeless population in CO after weed was legalized. Lots of people coming here not just to get high, but people with poor employment prospects back home came here thinking they could work in the weed industry, but they had a criminal record and couldn’t. Ended up on the streets.

- Legal weed hasn’t totally shut down illegal sales.

- Huge decrease in available warehouse space has led to big run ups in industrial property costs. Much of the marijuana in CO is grown in warehouses (hydroponics).

- Huge run up in housing costs. Rampant gentrification in Denver did cause a brief spike in gang-related murders, but that calmed down earlier this year. Lots of people being displaced from their homes and having to move into new communities, often crossing gang boundaries. For young people, this also makes it a lot harder to buy a home. Housing costs are still going gangbusters, hitting and exceeding levels not seen since the Bush administration.

- Marijuana industry is legally unbanked due to federal law. Some dispensaries get around this, but this means that there is a lot of cash floating around, which is dangerous for people carrying that money.

- It has brought a lot of new tax money into the state and into municipalities here, which is certainly a good thing.

Overall, it seems to me that legalization has been good for Colorado, but there are some negatives. The positives outweigh the negatives, though.

Comment by jerry 101 Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 1:03 pm
Yes. Legalize.

The medical cannabis industry in Illinois is already way over production capacity for the meager number of state licensed medical buyers. (And about a third of that number obtained their license from one “weed doctor”!) This fledgling industry could hit the skids after investing tens of millions of dollars. Besides providing a huge incentive for leakage (the allowance of 2.5 oz. every 2 weeks of high grade, one hit $hit, is … well enough to last the occasional user one to three years or more.) Just sayin’, it is ripe for abuse.

Unless the state goes ahead and legalizes recreational weed. The infrastructure is in place to start. I would recommend adding sufficiently to the production capacity by enabling small grow operations to prevent a few well healed players from dominating the market. Open it up to the little guys. Foster local markets and keep all the proceeds in the community.

Comment by vole Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 1:11 pm
-no sex on the southside, Chi-Raq style, settling down the hormones.

-unlimited LEGAL WEED for same group, taking a little aggression out of their day.

-quiet sweeps and buy backs for illegal guns, that are no longer needed for drug territories, by the newly reformed CPD eager to earn citizen respect and be the heroes they could be.

Could this be the magic that the southside needs to overcome its problems?

/a little snarky, a little truthy

Comment by cdog Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 1:14 pm
Not accepting his reasonable A.V. shows how the Democrats are just anti-Rauner no matter what the issue is. Way to go there, Majority!

Comment by Just Me Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 1:19 pm
jerry 101: thanks for those details. it sounds like the negatives you listed may have all come from underestimating the demand.

Comment by Homer J. Quinn Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 1:20 pm
I would imagine that legalization would also bring some tourism dollars to the state also.

Comment by Kevin Highland Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 1:25 pm
jerry 101 the housing costs in co started skyrocketing a decade before weed was legalized. people in CA started selling their homes for the outragous prices there and moved to co where they coukd get bigger and much cheaper homes. they started driving up prices and causeing a boom. which dropped for a few years then resurged.

the warehouse issue has mainly been in boulder, and is complicated by regulations

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 1:26 pm
Jerry,
Some of those trends you speak of were well underway before legalization.

The indoor warehousing of marijuana production does have a hefty carbon footprint with all the grow lights, heating, ventilation, etc. I read that the combined total electrical energy used by indoor grows in the US would be enough to supply about 2.5 million homes. The medical producers in Illinois are following this “dark” path. Good for obtaining consistent quality. Not so great for earth. Which is pretty damned ironic considering the politics that tend to tie cannabis with the left.

Comment by vole Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 1:35 pm
Legalization would bring some great opportunities for rural Illinois.

Unfortunately, the state recently created a moneyed med-mar monopoly that is going to fight it tooth and nail.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 1:35 pm
wordslinger: if they don’t start getting some more patients they might not be moneyed for long!

Comment by Homer J. Quinn Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 1:38 pm
Where’s Gary Johnson when we need him?

Comment by Hedley Lamarr Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 1:48 pm
“Cut out the criminal element and legalize it, fer cryin’ out loud.”
I agree - we should legalize marijuana.

Comment by Mama Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 2:02 pm
word: “moneyed med-mar monopoly”
poetic! My schooling once learned me the name for that sequence of phrasing but something happened to make my brain forget all that — all now a hazing.
But, I take your point. A few looks at some of the med-mar company websites is very revealing of the big bucks involved. You might call it med-mar mobbing or Trumpin’ Up the Weed. Not exactly what Willy ordained.

Comment by vole Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 2:02 pm
=== Wonder what the chances of legalizing it in Illinois? ===

This is a matter of when, not if. It will happen. Our current legislature is too cowardice now to do the right thing.

Comment by Just Observing Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 2:03 pm
===That is exactly why I lean more toward decriminalization than legalization…. could you tax it so heavily that you end up with most people purchasing “legal” grass from “illegal” sources? Without a doubt. ===

So we won’t legalize it because we fear that some people may buy from illegal sources, exactly like the situation we are in now???

It’s just like all those people shunning liquor stores for bathtub gin.

Comment by Just Observing Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 2:06 pm
Cdog, I saw that 60 Minutes report also. It was shocking and disgusting to see police coerce kids into becoming informants and drug dealers.

Anybody who hasn’t seen this report should definitely watch it.

Comment by Jordan Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 2:09 pm
One of my closest friends works for a med-mar company. He’s bullish on pot being legalized soon. I think it’ll happen if Rauner wins a second term. Waiting another 3+ years stinks, but that amount of time gives some of these smaller bills and reduced penalty initiatives will let our legislators, police orgs and legal officers time to figure out what works and what doesn’t. We’re not a small state. We have 102 state’s attorneys. We have multiple levels of policing agencies. Rushing this and then figuring out what works and what doesn’t is not the ideal way to go about this.

Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 2:24 pm
3-5 years to legalization in Illinois. The money is just too good for tax and the commercial people. And the downsides are too small to keep avoiding it. If Ill doesn’t, the surroundings will and beat us to the bank…just like casinos.

Comment by D.P.Gumby Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 2:44 pm
“if Rauner wins a second term”

We want legalization of marijuana not Rauner induced marijuana psychosis. Talk about a death trip!

Comment by vole Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 3:00 pm
If Rauner is smart his run for a second term would include a push to legalize weed. He can obviously influence nervous Republicans with cash and jobs, while showing the public that he can raise revenue without an income tax increase, or draconian cuts. No way the Dems could fight against it as well.

Comment by Generation X Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 3:28 pm
legal weed and med mar exist side by side in Colorado. why not here?

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Dec 9, 15 @ 4:52 pm