Editor's Note: According to this Huffington Post article, "In Illinois, blacks were about 7.6 times more likely to be arrested for possession than whites, according to a 2014 report by the ICDP. That rate ranks Illinois third in the nation for the black-to-white racial disparity of marijuana possession offenders, 'despite the fact that marijuana use is the same between these two groups,' the report said. In 2010, Illinois ranked fifth nationally in the number of arrests for marijuana possession, behind New York, Texas, Florida and California."
Adults in Illinois would be able to use small amounts recreational marijuana without fear of jail time under two bills introduced by the General Assembly. The bills are the first-ever legislation in the state aimed at rolling back marijuana-related penalties.
On Tuesday, lawmakers in both state houses introduced bills that would decriminalize and legalize small amounts of recreational marijuana for people over 21. Illinois currently has a strict pilot program for legal medical marijuana.
Senate Bill 753, sponsored by state Sen. Michael Noland (D-Elgin), would make it legal for anyone over 21 to possess more than 30 grams of marijuana, and it would [permit] the production and possession" of up to five marijuana plants.
"It's decriminalization on steroids," Ali Nagib, assistant director of the Illinois chapter of The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, told The Huffington Post.
