WATCH – Decency has come to the USA –
Jan. 1, 2021 – In a unique twist, the law also created a program that reinvests 25% of cannabis tax revenue into a fund for youth development, anti-violence programs, re-entry programs, economic development and civil legal aid services for “R3 communities” ― those dealing with high rates of gun violence, child poverty and incarceration rates.
With Thursday’s action, the state also met a separate January 2025 deadline to expunge all 492,192 state-level records.
However, only nine of the state’s 201 counties have finished clearing their own non-felony cannabis-related arrest records.
In a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times, state Sen. Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D) said the expungements are encouraging, yet ultimately incremental.
“Dismantling decades’ worth of criminal justice atrocities will take years. That’s evidenced by how this country handles cannabis,” she said. “We must never stop chipping away at that painful history. I’m proud of these critical first steps.”
