J B Pritzker, Illinois Governor, recently signed a new bill that legalizes the recreational use of marijuana in the state starting in 2020. The bill makes Illinois the 11th state in the United States to do this. It is expected that New York will be the next to follow suit.
What the bill states?
The new bill allows citizens above the age of 21 years to buy and sell the marijuana and its products. It also allows the government to regulate and collect taxes from sales. People above 21 can carry a certain amount of marijuana without any repercussions.
However, it should be noted that growing Cannabis is only permitted for medical use. Moreover, people who are visiting the state can consume marijuana when they are within the geographical limits of Illinois, but the amount of marijuana allowed for consumption is less than the locals.
Cases will be reviewed.
The bill also allowed reviewing of convictions and arrests related to buying and selling of the ‘drug’. The number of cases that will be reviewed is around 770,000. It is also believed that most of these cases reek of racial bias.
Senator Heather Steans has revealed that the earnings of the marijuana industry will be contributed towards the development of minority communities affected by the war on drugs.
With the new bill in effect in Illinois, it is the hope that New York will be the next state to legalise the use of the drug. However it is not likely that such a law will come into effect this year.
