SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) voted in favor today to make it legal for adults 21 and older to purchase and possess cannabis in Illinois.

House Bill 1438 would allow Illinois residents to possess up to 30 grams of cannabis, 5 grams of cannabis concentrate or 500 milligrams of THC in a cannabis-infused product. The bill also allows for adults 21 and older to grow up to five medical cannabis plants in their home, providing certain conditions are met.

“Communities of color in Illinois have been disproportionately impacted by misguided cannabis policy for far too long,” Hunter said. “I supported the legalization of adult-use cannabis in our state to help address the disproportionate impact of prohibition on people of color by expunging criminal convictions and promote equitable participation in the legal marijuana industry by investing in the communities hardest hit by the War on Drugs.”

Under the bill, cannabis convictions would be expunged in two ways. Convictions for use up to 30 grams would be pardoned by the governor, and state’s attorneys or individuals can petition the court to vacate convictions for amounts between 30-500 grams.

The legislation also includes significant racial and social justice and equity provisions. It creates a Social Equity Program that will help to promote minority involvement in the cannabis industry, giving participants access to grants and loans in order to deter some of the upfront costs of participating in the market.

Additionally, the proposal seeks to establish a new grant program, the Recover, Reinvest and Renew Program, a performance incentive funding program for high-need, underserved communities throughout the state.
“This long-overdue change will help bring our state’s marijuana laws into the 21^st century,” Hunter said. “It’s past time we bring fairness and relief to our communities that our criminal justice system has too often left behind.”

The legislation will now move to the House for concurrence.