ILLINOIS (WAND) – Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to sign the marijuana legalization bill into law on Tuesday.
The Marijuana Policy Project said in a press release that the governor will put pen to paper on the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act, which passed the Illinois House and Senate in recent months. The bill would turn Illinois into the eleventh state to legalize recreational marijuana use.
The bill would allow adults at or above 21 years old to buy and possess a maximum of 30 grams of marijuana. The bill would establish a regulated marijuana market and allow medical patients to grow marijuana at home.
When the bill passed the legislature, Pritzker issued remarks in support of marijuana, saying in part:
“The state of Illinois just made history, legalizing adult-use cannabis with the most equity-centric approach in the nation. This will have a transformational impact on our state, creating opportunity in the communities that need it most and giving so many a second chance.”
State Rep. Dan Caulkins (R) said he believes Illinois is making a mistake by considering legalizing cannabis.
“(On May 31) we saw yet another attack on our conservative family values with the passage of recreational marijuana,” he said. “Nothing in this bill changes the fact that cannabis is still a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance which remains illegal under federal law. Today’s action makes no sense and it sends the wrong message to our youth.”
If signed, the law would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
