The Briefing Room
State Chapters => Illinois => Topic started by: mystery-ak on January 01, 2020, 03:33:15 pm
-
Illinois governor pardons more than 11,000 marijuana convictions to ring in 2020
By Charles Creitz | Fox News
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker granted tens of thousands of pardons for people convicted of low-level marijuana-related offenses on Tuesday.
The Land of Lincoln is set to welcome a new marijuana legalization law on January 1, becoming the 11th state to legalize pot for those 21 years of age and older.
Pritzker, a Democrat whose family owns the Hyatt hotel chain, described the more than 11,000 expungements as the first step in anticipation of the new law taking effect on Wednesday.
He announced the pardons at a church on Chicago's South Side, claiming the action will help offenders find work, housing and college aid.
State officials estimate that 116,000 convictions involving 30 grams or less of marijuana, including for possession of the drug, are eligible for pardons under the new law. Illinois State Police are responsible for identifying those convictions and sending the records to the state’s Prisoner Review Board, which then forwarded eligible cases to the governor’s office for pardons.
more
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/illinois-marijuana-conviction-pardons-legalized-pot-law (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/illinois-marijuana-conviction-pardons-legalized-pot-law)
-
Fat Pitzger gets a woody every time he thinks of those 116,000 new Democrat voters he plans to pardon.
-
I wonder how many of those 11K had plea-bargained away more serious charges in exchange for pleading an MJ offense. This will be a release of 5K-10K violent thugs back onto IL streets.
-
Needs to make more room in prison for Ex-Governors.
-
Getting marijuana convictions expunged in Illinois: What you need to know about the process
https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-cb-weed-conviction-expunged-illinois-20190917-o2jrwf43trefbnb54efohdmwzu-story.html (https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-cb-weed-conviction-expunged-illinois-20190917-o2jrwf43trefbnb54efohdmwzu-story.html)
What changed with Illinois law?
As part of the legalization of retail marijuana sales next year, new state law provides for wiping out low-level convictions and arrests for marijuana possession.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to qualify to have their public records erased for cases involving cannabis misdemeanors and lesser felonies. For most people with misdemeanors, the process is supposed to happen automatically. But for some people, officials warn, the process may be long and difficult.
Any cannabis offenses that were accompanied by an arrest or conviction for another offense will not be automatically expunged, but those convicted may file a motion with their county court clerk to vacate and expunge those records as well — excluding offenses associated with a violent crime.
-
Just another reason to drive around Illinois, as if Chicago and the Tollway were not enough.