JB Pritzker (D), governor of Illinois, said hours before the start of the new year in an announcement that his state had related nearly 500,000 condemnations of marijuana.
The move follows the signing of Pritzker legislation in 2019 that will legally begin legal use of marijuana in the state in 2020. The expanded legislation also paved the way for 770,000 state residents to be eligible for the removal of marijuana-related offenses .
Pritzker initially estimated that it would take four years to remove records, but announced Thursday that nearly 500,000 had already been dumped by 2021.
“We have reached this milestone one year which will be a continuous effort to rectify historical transgressions fueled by the war on drugs,” he tweeted.
I am proud to announce that nearly 500,000 low-level cannabis-related records were removed in Illinois, four years ahead of schedule.
We have reached this milestone one year which will be a continuous effort to rectify historical transgressions fueled by the war on drugs.
– Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) 31 December 2020
We will never be able to fully repair the depth of the damage in color communities that have borne this burden excessively. But we can rule with the courage to acknowledge the mistakes of our past – and the decency to pave a better way forward.
– Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) 31 December 2020
“We will never be able to fully recover the depth of the damage in color communities that have excessively covered this relationship. But we can rule with confidence to acknowledge the mistakes of our past – and the decency to find a better way forward. set . “
Illinois has joined more than a dozen states in the past year that legalize marijuana recreation and try to address drug convictions.
California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington have each enacted legislation to reduce the records of those convicted of felony criminal mischief. level to explicitly delete or seal marijuana crimes.