Illinois Becomes 21st State to Decriminalize Marijuana

Illinois has become the 21st state to decriminalize simple marijuana possession. The law, effective immediately, makes possession of a personal amount of marijuana a civil violation punishable only by a fine of $100-$200 – similar to a traffic ticket – instead of jail time.

Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the bill into law on July 29^th, the Marijuana Policy Project reported.  

Chris Lindsey of the Marijuana Policy Project stated, “We applaud Gov. Rauner and the legislature for replacing Illinois’s needlessly draconian marijuana possession law with a much more sensible policy. This commonsense legislation will prevent countless citizens from having their lives turned upside down by a marijuana possession arrest.”

A person in possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana will now receive a civil violation punishable only by a fine of $100-$200, instead of receiving a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,500.

With the new laws, adults in Illinois are no longer punished with jail time, and civil offenses will be erased in order to prevent permanent criminal records.