500,000 Marijuana Related Arrest Records Receive Clean Slate In Illinois

 

Happy New Year to nearly 500,000 people in the state of Illinois who have had their non-felony cannabis arrest records expunged! This is the state's latest effort in marijuana reform that fulfills a deadline set by Illinois’ Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act signed in 2019. “Statewide, Illinoisans hold hundreds of thousands of low-level cannabis-related records, a burden disproportionately shouldered by communities of color. We will never be able to fully remedy the depth of that damage. But we can govern with the courage to admit the mistakes of our past — and the decency to set a better path forward," says Governor J.B. Pritzker. 

The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act required that “47,000 cannabis-related arrest records between 2013 and 2019 be expunged by Jan. 1, 2021.” While the state has met its standard, there are still several counties that must also work to meet their quota for overturning cannabis records. What senior advisor to the governor for cannabis control Toi Hutchinson has to say: “As we near the end of the first year of Illinois’ new legal cannabis industry, I am heartened by the progress we have made towards undoing the harms dealt by the failed war on drugs. We are one year into what will be an ongoing effort to correct historic wrongdoings. The administration remains committed to working with legislators to address any challenges to equity and on building an industry that re-invests in our state’s communities.”

All states need to follow suit. Other efforts need to focus on the inequalities facing Black entrepreneurs getting a piece of the pot, or pie, in the industry as well. 

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https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/500-000-weed-related-arrests-get-expunged-in-illinois-news.123983.html