According to the Chicago-Sun Times report, Governor J.B Pritzker and the Illinois Federal Police cleared over 500,000 marijuana-related criminal records. Pritzker pardoned 9,129 minor charges, and the ISP scrapped 492,192 cases, giving a total of 501,321.
The ISP move was mandated by the state’s recreational cannabis Act to be accomplished by 25th January 2025; thus, the department accomplished the task four years early. In a tweet, the Democratic governor said that he had expunged 20,000 cases since the approval of the law last year. The regulation called for 47,000 conviction records to be scraped off by 1st January 2021.
The governor’s chief advisor for cannabis regulation, Toi Hutchinson, stated that she appreciates the state’s progress towards reducing the effects of the failed fight on drugs. She pointed out that Illinois is a year into a continuous effort towards undoing past wrongdoings. Toi added that the administration is still focused on liaising with lawmakers to tackle any equity issues and build a sector that reinvests in the state’s communities.
According to the legislature-passed regulation, 25% of marijuana-derived proceeds are injected into communities hardest hit by the justice program via the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Program. Officials disclosed to NBC Chicago that the regulation will award over $25 million to institutions aiding underserved communities in the following weeks.
Although expungement has been acquired at the national level, officials disclosed that county clerks are still working on expungements at the federal level. DuPage, Rock Island, Winnebago, Peoria, Kane, Lake, McLean, McHenry, Knox, and Peoria counties have expunged cases locally.
Marijuana sales in Illinois have reached $582.2 million since recreational sales started on 1st January 2020. According to new reports, $432.9 million worth of marijuana-related sales were conducted by in-state citizens.
