McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage said Monday that legislators missed the mark on the proposed legislation to legalize recreational cannabis.
Speaking with GLT, Sandage said he doesn’t think the important things have been thought out regarding cannabis legalization. His primary concern is regulations on home-grown marijuana.
The proposed measure would allow Illinois residents to grow up to five plants in their homes. Sandage said that’s a problem because there is no way to regulate home-grown cannabis.
The Chicago Tribune reported late Monday that the legalization bill's chief sponsors may retool the measure to remove the five-plants-at-home provision.
In a written statement posted on Facebook, Sandage said the legislature needs to address safety threats like impaired driving, the consequences of mass expungement, how to keep communities safe with limited resources, and the threat of increased crime before passing the measure to the governor.
Sandage is joined by the Illinois Sheriff’s Association and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police in opposing the legislation.
Democrats and Gov. JB Pritzker hope to pass the measure through the legislature before session ends in late May.
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