Gov. Rauner approves bill making small amount of marijuana possession punishable with fines, not jail.
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Republican Governor Bruce Rauner signed legislation today amending the state’s marijuana possession penalties.
Rauner had been expected to sign the bill because it included language he requested after vetoing similar legislation a year ago.
People found in possession of “not more than 10 grams” of marijuana can be ticketed and given a notice to appear.
The Associated Press was first to report the bill signing.
The governor’s office announced that Rauner signed the legislation Friday. But the new law extends decriminalization to the entire state.
Years after Chicago and other IL cities began to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, the state of IL has changed its marijuana possession laws, too.
Under the new law, drivers won’t be charged with a DUI unless they have 5 nanograms or more of THC in their blood, or 10 nanograms or more of THC in their saliva.
Not only does this reform stop wasting police resources that can be better focused on more serious crimes, it’ll save the state millions in enforcement and incarceration costs.
“We applaud Gov. Rauner and the legislature for replacing Illinois’s needlessly draconian marijuana possession law with a much more sensible policy”, Chris Lindsey, senior legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a statement.
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The law would also require municipalities to purge citation records for possession every six months, unless local governments decide against it. Supporters argue people shouldn’t be saddled with lifelong criminal records for minor offenses that make it hard to find employment or housing.
