Tag: Gov. J.B. Pritzker

Tax and Regulate

Legal cannabis sales begin in Illinois!

Jan 02, 2020

cannabis regulation, cannabis sales, dispensaries, expungement, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, IL, Illinois, Land of Lincoln, legalization, low-level cannabis convictions, Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, Rep. Kelly Cassidy, Sen. Heather Steans, Sen. Toi Hutchinson, social equity, Tax and Regulate

There’s a new law in the Land of Lincoln! Yesterday, while ringing in a new decade, Illinois also saw the official start of legal cannabis sales for adults 21 and older.

Illinois residents can now purchase and possess up to 30 grams of raw cannabis, cannabis-infused products containing no more than 500 mg of THC, and five grams of cannabis product in concentrated form. Visitors to the state can purchase half those amounts. More than 40 dispensaries throughout Illinois have been approved to sell cannabis to adults.

MPP lobbied to improve cannabis policies in the Illinois Legislature for over 15 years and worked closely with legislators and the governor’s office to craft and pass this new law, which contains the most far-reaching social equity provisions ever included in a legalization law. It includes reinvestment in communities disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition, broad expungement provisions, and measures to ensure the industry includes communities that have been targeted by cannabis enforcement. On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker granted over 11,000 pardons for low-level cannabis convictions, marking the first wave of expungements expected under the new law.

We’d like to give a big shout out to these four legislative champions who saw this effort to its fruition — Sen. Heather Steans, Sen. Toi Hutchinson, Rep. Kelly Cassidy, and Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth. Sen. Hutchinson was appointed by Gov. Pritzker to oversee the state program in September. Thanks to their years of dedication, this law will truly change lives, which is why MPP does this work.

With state legislatures soon convening for their 2020 legislative sessions, MPP is working hard to make further progress reforming our nation’s cannabis laws. Although 11 states have now legalized, a majority of Americans still live in a jurisdiction where possessing cannabis is against the law.

Please donate to MPP so that we can continue to enact and implement legalization policies at the state level. Illinois is a powerful reminder of what our movement can achieve when we have the resources needed to succeed.

Tax and Regulate

Illinois becomes the 11th state to legalize marijuana for adults!

Jun 25, 2019

11, cannabis regulation, Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, contribute, donate, equity, expungement, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, IL, Illinois, legalization, social justice, Tax and Regulate

Make a donation today to fuel MPP's legalization efforts across the country.

Earlier today, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, ending marijuana prohibition in the country's sixth most populous state. This is a tremendous achievement and the first time marijuana sales have been legalized through a state's legislative process rather than a ballot initiative.

I'm proud to say that MPP's staff and lobbying team played a central role in this groundbreaking victory, and it's important to remember that we are only effective because people like you support our work. As we celebrate today, please make a contribution to help us legalize marijuana in more states and at the federal level.

Beginning January 1, 2020, individuals 21 and older in Illinois will be able to legally possess and consume cannabis. Retail marijuana sales are expected to begin at that time. Illinois' new legalization law is also significant because it contains some of the strongest language of any state around equity and social justice, including far-reaching expungement provisions and programs to help communities that have been most impacted by the war on drugs.

Today is another sign of our remarkable progress in recent years. But a majority of Americans still live in a jurisdiction where possessing marijuana is against the law. When you donate to MPP, you become part of a powerful movement that is not only changing laws, but changing lives.

Please don't sit on the sidelines. Join us in our mission of achieving a world with more humane and just marijuana policies.

Illinois Legislature legalizes marijuana for adults!

As we celebrate this history-making progress, make a contribution to MPP to help us support smooth implementation of the law.

Big news! Lawmakers in Springfield just approved legislation to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older. The bill now goes to the desk of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has championed legalization.

With the governor's signature, Illinois will become the 11th state to legalize marijuana for adults and the first to approve legal sales through the state legislature rather than a ballot measure. Legal marijuana sales are scheduled to begin on January 1, 2020.

The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA) will legalize the possession and purchase of up to 30 grams of marijuana for adults and establish an inclusive, regulated market for cultivators, processors, retail stores, and testing labs.

Crafting a bill that could get past the finish line involved a long and difficult negotiation process. Although we weren't able to get everything we hoped to see (such as home cultivation and delivery for adults), the bill is an enormous step forward. It will help hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans and set a new standard for addressing the harms caused by decades of marijuana prohibition.

The CRTA includes far-reaching expungement provisions, funding for communities hard hit by the drug war, and assistance to business applicants operated by those harmed by prohibition or from areas of disproportionate impact. It also legalizes home cultivation for patients. Read a complete summary of the legislation here.

This victory is the result of a collective effort, and there are so many to thank for their support: MPP donors who made our years-long advocacy effort possible; legislative champions Rep. Kelly Cassidy, Sen. Heather Steans, Sen. Toi Hutchinson, and Rep. Jehan Gordon; Gov. Pritzker; our dedicated lobbyists Pete Baroni and Kareem Kenyatta; Sen. Steans' cannabis policy staffer Rose Ashby; Clergy for a New Drug Policy; and all the individuals and organizations who worked to move the legislation forward.

We wouldn't be able to do this work without the support of those who contribute. Please consider making a donation today to help us ensure Illinois' legalization law is implemented quickly and smoothly, and to help us roll back prohibition in other states.

Tax and Regulate

25 days to legalize marijuana in Illinois!

May 08, 2019

community reinvestment, expungement, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, home cultivation, IL, Illinois, legalization, May 31, Rep. Kelly Cassidy, SB 7, Sen. Heather Steans, Tax and Regulate

If you live in Illinois, contact your state legislators today to tell them it’s time for smart, equitable cannabis policies in Illinois!

After years of committee hearings, town halls, and stakeholder meetings, Sen. Heather Steans and Rep. Kelly Cassidy have crafted a thoughtful proposal to end cannabis prohibition in Illinois! SB 7 would set the gold standard for smart, equitable cannabis policy. It includes secure home cultivation, robust expungement, community reinvestment, and ensures the benefits of the new industry go to those who suffered from the war on cannabis.

Now, we need all hands on deck to get the bill past the finish line before the legislature adjourns on May 31.

Email your state legislators TODAY to make sure they know their constituents want them to vote “yes” to legalize marijuana for adults' use. Our free, automated system makes it quick and easy to make your voice heard.

Then, spread the news on social media to rally other thoughtful Illinoisans to action.

Legalizing and regulating marijuana is a priority of Gov. J.B. Pritzker. But we know passage can’t be taken for granted. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Write your state legislators today, and spread the word.