This took place Monday – so I’m a little late to the show. But Obama’s home state? Very little happens in Illinois without Democrat Party approval. And it appears that the Democrats are backing legalization.
“The main difference between the War on Drugs and Prohibition is that, after 40 years, this country still hasn’t acknowledged that the War on Drugs is a failure,” said Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
In what’s perhaps the strongest show of support yet for legalizing recreational marijuana in Illinois, Fritchey was joined by State Representatives Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), Christian Mitchell (D-Chicago) and Mike Zalewski (D-Riverside) in calling for a task force to address all aspects of legalizing recreational marijuana, WGN reports.
“We can find a way to do this and look at what other states have done, and cherry pick the good ideas, dismiss the bad ideas and find a workable policy that recognizes what we’re doing now simply isn’t right,” Fritchey said, according to WBEZ.
Facing empty state coffers and a losing war on drugs, some elected officials are viewing marijuana as a lucrative option to boost tax revenue. In Colorado, where recreational marijuana was recently legalized, the state netted roughly $2 million in tax revenue from licensed dispensaries during the first month of sales alone.
Illinois is still in the midst of crafting rules for its medical marijuana pilot program, set to become the strictest in the nation. Fritchey and others acknowledged the statewide legalization of weed for recreational use is still a ways off, but believe decriminalization is the first step.
And he touches on one of the hot button issues when it comes to prohibition enforcement.
Beyond tax revenue, Fritchey said decriminalization could soothe other issues, like the racial disparity in drug enforcement efforts and arrests.
“You’ll see people getting swept off the streets on a daily basis on the South Side and the West Side,” Fritchey said, according to the Sun-Times, referencing predominantly black and Latino areas of Chicago. “You don’t see kids getting arrested in Lincoln Park.”
I used to live in the Lincoln Park area. Trendy and upscale. I lived there when it was becoming trendy and was not so upscale.
And who is against this change? The Illinois Police Chiefs. Those staunch supporters of Cultural Marxism. And the Drug War gravy train – for police. If you read the whole article you will note that there is no Republican support for ending prohibition mentioned.
Between the cultural Marxists and the economic Marxists it is difficult to say which is the worst threat. The economic Marxists wish to steal your money and will destroy an economy. But the cultural Marxists will throw you in jail for extended periods if you violate their rules for living. And that is not so good for economies either. It adds dead weight overhead.
This news from Colorado is so typical.
Legalized marijuana has not “eroded the moral fiber” of people in Colorado, voters say 67 – 30 percent.
A strong majority of Democrats (69 percent) and Independents (56 percent), but not Republicans (28 percent) said that the passage of marijuana legalization has been good for the state.
Evidently Republicans favor drug distribution by criminals over legal distribution. That would make the Republicans advocates for criminals and drug cartels. Who knew? They CLAIM to be such MORAL people.
Comments
11 responses to “Illinois Considers Legalization”
The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) (21 U.S.C. § 811) is still in force, and marijuana is still illegal under federal law everywhere in the US, that specifically includes “medical” marijuana. Prosecution of people possessing marijuana is discretionary. The current administration doesn’t bother with it, but after 2016 a new administration might. And they will have easy access to lists of people who grow, distribute, sell and buy it.
So, all this talk of “legalizing” marijuana is nonsense. If you want to do it, you have to amend Controlled Substances Act (CSA) (21 U.S.C. § 811).
Bob,
If you know your history you would know that Alcohol Prohibition ended when the States stopped enforcing it.
The changing of Federal law was an asterisk.
The Republican Party and its major spokesmen like Rush Limbaugh are so two-faced. How many seniors, the majority of whom are GOPers, are addicted to prescription drugs? They eat them like candy. Visit any senior center or assisted living complex and you’ll see zonked out & doped up people. They wait in line at the Walmart or CVS pharmacies for their monthly fix, everything from over-the-counter meds like Claritan D to antidepressants, anti-anxiety, muscle relaxants, or the whole list of opioids both pill and patch. One delicious moment was the outing of Limbaugh using his housekeeper to buy oxycodone.
Let’s clean up the real drug problem in America, South Florida and all the Shady Pines resorts first. Fucking hypocrites.
Mother’s Little Helper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfGYSHy1jQs
Cultural Marxism, haha! I love the new twist on the term!
As you know, the UN is a major part of this problem. (Another delicious irony.)
Thanks c andrew. Ha, what sacrilege right before Mother’s Day!
But the cultural Marxists will throw you in jail for extended periods if you violate their rules for living.
If only just that. They will break down your door and ransack your house on the flimsiest of excuses, kill your dog in front of you and the children, gas you, swipe your computer, conceal and manufacture evidence, lie on the witness stand, and THEN throw you in jail. They will also steal your money, car, and property through forfeiture laws, put your children in foster care, and force you to undergo psychiatric evaluation if you resist.
As you say, which is the worst threat, the economic Marxist or the cultural ones? If these are the two choices, I’ll go with the economic and figure the black market will take care of things.
It is also crystal clear that the Republican Party does not want or need my help as it drifts into Fascism.
The blueprint for cultural Marxism is probably Robert Bork’s Slouching Towards Gomorrah. Bork attacks what he calls “radical individualism” as well as libertarianism. In a nice concise way he lays out the basis for a future Christian theocratic state. If you want to see why a libertarian can’t form an alliance with religious conservatives, read this book. The two ideologies are opposites and are incompatible.
Frank,
The respect, nay adulation, that Bork receives in some quarters is truly disturbing. I was so glad when he got Borked. Although the verb does not mean what the people who invented it think it means. He was shot down IMO because his views are incompatable with America. Or at least the America I want.
This review – https://mises.org/misesreview_detail.aspx?control=22 – nails Bork.
Since he rejects individual rights, as the classical view professes them, nothing stands in the way of a virulent statism.
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Another interesting review: https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/~shallit/bork.html
Simon,
Thanks for the links. I hadn’t read the excellent Shallit review.