GOV NOT HIGH ON LEGALIZING POT
Rauner ramps up stance against drug
Gov. Bruce Rauner is taking a blunt stance, telling a Downstate TV station that it would be a “mistake” to legalize marijuana in Illinois.
The Republican governor has, in the past, said he wants more studies on the “ramifications” in states that have legalized the drug. On Wednesday, he took it further.
“I do not support legalizing marijuana. I think that’s a mistake. You know there’s a massive, human experiment going on in Colorado, and California, other places. We should see how that’s impacted lives and addiction and hurt young people before we make any decision about it here,” Rauner said in an interview on WSIL in Marion. “I do not support legalizing marijuana.”
In April, the governor called recreational marijuana “a very, very difficult subject.” He said he wouldn’t support legalizing marijuana unless there’s a study of the “ramifications” in states that have legalized the drug.
Gov. Bruce Rauner instituted a medical marijuana pilot program that started doling out weed to patients in 2015. And Rauner last year signed a bill that decriminalized the possession of 10 grams or less of marijuana, making it a ticketable offense subject to fines of $ 100 to $ 200.
Legalization essentially means adults won’t be arrested, fined or otherwise penalized for recreational marijuana use or possession. Decriminalization is less sweeping. It generally means violators will not be subjected to criminal prosecutions for smaller amounts, often treating it as a civil offense, punishable only by fines — not jail time.
The issue is increasingly being discussed across the nation. And two Democratic gubernatorial candidates say they would push for legalization of marijuana in the state should they win the election next year.
J. B. Pritzker and State Sen. Daniel Biss, D- Evanston, are on board with legalization, while businessman Chris Kennedy says he supports decriminalizing marijuana but wants to see more studies done to understand the effects of legalizing the drug.