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Illinois Lawmakers Push Hard for Cannabis Legislation

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]P[/dropcap]ro-cannabis Illinois lawmakers Sen. Heather Steans and Rep. Kelly Cassidy are working together to introduce a new cannabis legislative bill to fully legalize cannabis in the first legislative session of 2019. The duo had previously presented a bill to reform cannabis legalization, but the bill failed in both chambers. The good news is, a lot has changed in Illinois politics since then, and the democrats are hopeful that this time the bill would push forward.

“It is a more encouraging landscape, for sure,” Steans told The Chicago Sun-Times.  “Particularly since Governor Rauner had been pretty outspoken in opposing [legalization]. It definitely has shifted the environment and we think that it gives us a lot more momentum to get it passed in the General Assembly in short order” she added.

Pro-cannabis Democrat J.B. Pritzker cruised to victory past Gov. Bruce Rauner on election day and democrats expanded the party’s majorities in both houses of the General Assembly. To top it off, Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan announced that he now supports Pritzker’s proposal to legalize cannabis for adult use. Hence, the governor’s optimism to get the bill passed this time is rooted in these positive chances in Chicago politics that goes in favor of the new proposed legislation, which is to fully legalize cannabis.

“JB supports legalizing and taxing the recreational use of marijuana, and is confident we are ready to do this in a safe and economically beneficial way in Illinois,” said Pritzker spokesperson Jason Rubin. “As governor, he is committed to working with leaders in the General Assembly, listening to experts and community leaders, and drawing lessons and best practices from other states to move this forward.”

Unfortunately, even with a democratic majority in the House and Senate, and the governor on their side, cannabis still has its naysayers in Illinois. House Minority leader Jim Durkin (R) has previously stated he does “not support the legalization of recreational marijuana.” On top of that, the prohibitionist group, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) has stated they will campaign against marijuana reform in Illinois.

“With our allies, we have and will continue to target districts where lawmakers are on the fence on commercialization, and we are continuing to put pressure on Springfield and target legislators on the fence,” said SAM CEO Kevin Sabet.

Despite the opposition to cannabis legislation, several medical marijuana bills have passed in Illinois recently. This positive shift in the state’s attitude towards cannabis and the change in leadership inside the office are very good signs that indicate that Illinois might just be the eleventh state to fully legalize cannabis.

 

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