Republican Governor Bruce Rauner signed legislation today amending the state’s marijuana possession penalties.
Senate Bill 2228 reduces the penalties for the possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana from a criminal misdemeanor (formerly punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,500 fine) to a civil fine of no more than $200 — no arrest and no criminal record.
It also decriminalizes related offenses involving the possession of marijuana paraphernalia.
Senate Bill 2228 also amends the state’s zero tolerance per se traffic safety law, stating that the presence of THC in blood at levels below 5ng/ml “shall not give rise to any presumption that the person was or was not under the influence of cannabis.”
The full text of the measure is available here.
According to the ACLU, Illinois police arrest some 50,000 individuals annually for marijuana possession offenses — ranking #5 in the nation in per capita marijuana possession arrests.
Illinois becomes the third largest state to decriminalize minor marijuana possession offenses.
Illinois citizens BEWARE of 11 grams of Cannabis!
Be very careful for the dark soul’d individuals that dare to posses that extra gram over 10 grams of this healing plant! These criminals are evil on a whole new level, and will likely extract the THC/CBD by any means necessary… and ingest it.
Yes, these twisted degenerates of society are disillusion to the point of believing it will help them simply because they “read” somewhere it has healing abilities & they may feel jubilant.
*Maniacal Laugh* These simpletons may cure their cancer, or stop their child’s seizures…BUT fear not – they will still be locked away for their heinous criminal intentions.
PEOPLE OF EARTH – PLEASE STOP BEING STUPID! YES THIS IS IN CAPS BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE WE ARE SERIOUSLY DROPPING THE BALL WITH MAKING LOGICAL CHANGES ON SENSIBLE CANNABIS LAWS.
IF YOU HEAR/READ SOMEONE SPEWING NON-SENSE LIES, PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE INTERVENE! NO NEED TO DISCLOSE YOUR LIFESTYLE BUT FACTS ARE FACTS. CANNABIS IS MEDICINE THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS PROFITING OFF OF AT THE COST OF U.S. CITIZENS LIVES. SERIOUSLY NOT COOL! HOW CAN WE BE A FREE COUNTRY IF WE DON’T HAVE THE FREEDOM TO USE ANY MEDICATION THAT WORKS BEST?
A FAMILY IN KANSAS WILL GET ARRESTED & JAILED FOR GROWING THEIR MEDICINE IN THEIR YARD – YET, WALK 1 MINUTE FROM THIS HOUSE TO COLORADO, AND YOU ARE INSTANTLY BECOME WHAT’S CALLED A CAREGIVER!
#illegallyhealed
PRIVATE PRISONS = BAD THINGS: https://youtu.be/hQxtRcfBIXY
US PATENT on CANNABANOIDS: https://www.google.com/patents/US6630507
HELP FINDING THE RIGHT STRAIN/MEDICINAL HERB: http://WWW.LEAFLY.com
Keep up the good fight NORML!
So would you rather have full criminalization in Illinois? Maybe I misread you comment. This is a step forward.
A GOP governor doing the right thing–will wonders never cease.
Now, if I were a cynical partisan I would say, “He’s an opportunist! He’s a hypocrite! He’s only doing this because he sees the way the tide is turning!”
But I won’t say those things, because I think it’s a good thing that a member of the Dinosaur Party is coming to his senses. (My apology to Dinosaurs.)
I believe that our “betters” have decided Prohibition is no longer in their interest.
Winning The War On Cops
The link describes how to win a guerilla war. And the way you do that is political. You make the police guardians of the community. As opposed to their current depredations.
Stopping the arrests — that’s what it is all about!
Now think of all the people in Chicago who WON’T be slapped into cuffs, and who WON’T have their lives all fucked up for no good reason! And observe an amazing thing, as freedom gains ground over oppression.
Now that’s progress. I’m no prophet, but I can imagine that eventually, there will be some fine cannabis clubs in Chicago. Blacks, blues, jazz and weed! In your face, Harry Anslinger!
But before I get all misty-eyed over Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, who signed the minimalistic reform effort, I must remind myself that the guy is an economic terrorist, along the lines of Gov. Rick Snyder, who knowingly poisoned his own constituents with toxic lead! And that bastard is still walking around free!
According to Tim Libretti of PoliticusUSA(see link below) Rauner is part of the Rick Snyder/Sam Brownback/Scott Walker Republican rat pack of economic terrorists.
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/02/19/republican-redux-bruce-rauner-ruin-illinois.html
Congrats to the people of Illinois!
Seriously, decriminalizing < 1 oz of cannabis should be the bare minimum any state should do if the leaders believe in freedom and justice!
now the next step HB4267
I’m listening to a report on NPR about the rise in child deaths due to being in the crossfire of bullets in the city of Chicago, and I can only hope and pray that decriminalization will allow this city and out nation to heal and continue to “wake up.”
And yes, thanks to good, real investigative reporting from the ongoing US death count called “The Counted” from a foreign news organization, the Guardian, we can use the words “rise” or “spike” in statistics and studies. Unlike recent media propaganda that takes the first year’s stats over alcohol related deaths in Washington where THC is found in the driver and calls it a “spike” or when a few allegedly neglected children ingest a medible after the first year’s data thats called a “rise,” what is happening in Chicago is a real “rise,” both in data and awareness.
Decriminalization of marijuana can begin to end the cyclical and disproportionate incarceration of black American men for the possession of less than 10 oz. of marijuana. This allows;
1). more men with more melanin in their flesh to work and become fathers to their children
2). Reduces gang affiliation by keeping young black men out of the prison system and into good paying jobs.
3) Begin the healing of our nation as we look to end the child deaths in our own back yards
So it’s good to see your optimism, but let’s keep it real – right?
This was nothing more than a political stunt by a shameful Governor that could care less about suffering children, veterans w/PTSD, and the freedom to choose Cannabis over Opiates by free patriotic Americans.
We don’t have much time left for Mr. Sellout (POTUS) to prove he has some integrity left, and completely de-schedule marijuana & hemp. With that simple executive order, it would SERIOUSLY bring the change you’re hoping a praying for. Cannabis needs to be regulated just like alcohol, and since it’s medicine, placing it as a schedule V (Lowest on the list since more people get addicted to benzodiazepines 11-15% which are Schedule IV) than Cannabis. So called “addiction” is ~9%.
Schedule IV Controlled Substances
Substances in this schedule have a low potential for abuse relative to substances in Schedule III.
Examples of Schedule IV substances include: alprazolam (Xanax), carisoprodol (Soma), clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), midazolam (Versed), temazepam (Restoril), and triazolam (Halcion).
Schedule V Controlled Substances
Substances in this schedule have a low potential for abuse relative to substances listed in Schedule IV and consist primarily of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics.
Examples of Schedule V substances include: cough preparations containing not more than 200 milligrams of codeine per 100 milliliters or per 100 grams (Robitussin AC, Phenergan with Codeine), and ezogabine.
News just broke that the DEA won’t be making any scheduling announcements in 2016. So Mr. OBAMA – for crying out loud, you know what needs to be done. Stop this WAR on a plant that’s wasting money, lives, and putting us behind the curve when it comes to medical options for your citizens. We The People shouldn’t have to ask you to take action over lobbying money… Legalize – Tax & Regulate NOW!!!
Any executive action by the President will end up in court with this Republican Congress. If you dont like that, read the NORML Congressional scorecard, donate and vote the right Congressman into office, like http://www.TimCanova.com
And support state initiatives;
https://www.regulatecalifornia.com/donate/
Focus on legalization is on Congress and state legalization, not the presidency.
“Any executive action by the President will end up in court with this Republican Congress.”
Ah. Yes. President Courage will not even try.
Note that there could be a fine even for possession of one (1) gram– i.e. no reward for prudent dosage miniaturization. One gram to a waster is 2-3 joints, but to me it’s 40 single tokes, served anywhere, anywhen convenient. The one gram grace provision is worth agitating for in “incremental” states like Illinois.
Additional point: signs announcing indoor smoking prohibited, “including e-cigarettes” (which are vaporizers, not smoking utensils). Yes you can vaporize with a 25-mg. flexdrawtube oneheater AND you can inhale 100% of all effluent even if some of it is $moke. True Second-Hand is eons safer than $ide-Stream, write in and wise up those legislators.