While gaining acceptance with an increasing number of Americans, the legalization of Marijuana remains a hotly debated topic. While some states seem open to the idea of additional revenue in the form of a tax on cannabis sales, others aren’t ready for the potential problems legal weed can bring.
Illinois still not onboard with marijuana legalization
Just yesterday, current Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner took a strong stance against legal marijuana, stating it would be a “mistake” for the state to approve such a measure. Per his statement, more studies must be done to fully understand the “ramifications” experienced by other states that have legalized cannabis.
Calling Marijuana Legalization a “massive human experiment,” Rauner wants to see how the lives of people in Colorado and California are affected by legal cannabis use.
Despite his recent anti-cannabis statement, the governor has supported marijuana in the past. In 2015, Rauner showed his approval of medical marijuana by establishing a program to allow some patients use the drug. Additionally, the state government passed a bill that decriminalized cannabis, which the governor signed.
Decriminalized not legalized
Nonetheless, decriminalization is not the same as legalization. Under existing law, an individual caught with ten grams of pot or less will receive a fine instead of a jail sentence. While still illegal, marijuana possession is essentially a civil offense where offenders will not be criminally prosecuted.
Advocates see legalization as a much-needed windfall for economy
Advocates for cannabis legalization in Illinois say the state is losing new jobs and millions of dollars in revenue under current prohibition laws. Travel writer and marijuana supporter Rick Steves visited the state and spoke to a joint House-Senate committee earlier this week.
During testimony, he held the belief that marijuana is “here to stay” and prohibition discourages economic development. Instead of building more prisons, Illinois needs laws that allow “the responsible use of marijuana by adults.”
One big hurdle to legal pot
Marijuana legalization still has one colossal adversary – the federal government.
Under current U.S. law, cannabis is an illegal Schedule I drug, which puts it in the same category as LSD and heroin. So as more and more states approve measures to allow citizens to use pot, either medicinally or recreationally, the federal government may at some point step in and negate much of the progress made in recent years toward legal weed.
