The State of Illinois reported customers spent nearly $3.2 million on legal marijuana at 37 dispensaries on January 1, 2020 – the first day in the state’s history recreational use became legal. More than 77,000 people purchased the drug from dispensaries, which also sell medical cannabis, that are spread throughout the state except for nine that are clustered in the Chicago area.
I shook my head as news reports showed people in Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield camping overnight outside dispensaries waiting for their chance to purchase legal “pot.” As the sun came up the lines went on for blocks and people came out of the shops saying happily, it only “took four hours to get inside.” Really, that was it? (Sorry, my snark is showing.)
In Champaign, the deputy mayor having made his purchase, noted that in 1920 Prohibition was just beginning, and now in 2020 marijuana was being legalized. He marveled how our society was changing for the better. In Springfield, a woman from Missouri was so happy to get her edible marijuana “treats” to take home with her. The Lt. Governor was shown in Chicago purchasing fruit-flavored gummies from a dispensary with a $100 bill. (Hopefully, no important state business will occur when those are enjoyed).
Included as part of the deal-making to pass the legislation through the spring session of the general assembly, was an agreement by the Governor to pardon people convicted of low-level marijuana offenses — possession of 30 grams or less. Although, state’s attorneys can consider vacating cases involving up to 500 grams.
Gov. JB Pritzker made good on his promise Dec. 31, 2019 at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago when he expunged 11,017 marijuana convictions in 92 counties dating back decades. Something no other state that has legalized marijuana for recreational use has done. I couldn’t help but wonder, why bring a church into the marijuana debate?
At the pardoning ceremony, the governor shared, “For the many individuals and families whose lives have been changed, indeed, hurt, because the nation’s war on drugs, discriminated against people of color, this day belongs to you, too.”
We can make deals and try to pretty-up the here and now, but that’s just temporary. The damage has already been done and laws were already broken. Nothing can undo that. Marijuana use can lead to addiction just as alcohol use can. When God tells us not to be drunkards in 1 Corinthians 6:9, can’t the same be said for getting high? What has been given over for a temporary feel-good moment will have long-reaching consequences for the future that cannot be ignored.
What will this deal do for Illinois? A study published by the Chicago Tribune in May 2019 showed how in Colorado, where recreational marijuana has been legal since 2014, the arrest rate for blacks still remains twice that as whites. All of the following have increased — fatalities among cannabis-positive drivers, ER visits, calls to the poison control center, homelessness, and arrests for organized crime related marijuana offenses. Meanwhile, Colorado brags that the taxes and fees legal cannabis brought in for the year 2018 generated 1% of the state budget. What kind of deal have we made Illinois?