By Nick Gale, WLS-AM News
(CHICAGO) As more states look to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, one group thinks Illinois could benefit, if there was the political will to do so.
Dan Linn, executive director of the Illinois chapter of the Nation Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws, tells Lauren Cohn and Harry Teinowitz on WLS that the state would see much needed tax revenues if lawmakers were to pass a recreational cannabis law.
“In an optimistic way I would probably see [legalization] in the next three to five years. Looking at the political landscape we could probably see it past that five year mark,” Linn said. “Some of the bigger factors in that timeline would be how much pressure can supporters of legalization put on their state representatives and state senators to actually pass this type of bill because Illinois does not have a binding ballot initiative process like any of these states that have moved forward with legalization.”
Recreational marijuana has paid off for Colorado which saw over $1 billion in regulated cannabis sales in the first 10 months of 2016.
Some 13,000 Illinois residents have cards that allow them to purchase medical marijuana, but recreational use is still illegal.
Eight states in the last election voted to legalize marijuana either for medical purposes or recreational use.
@2016 WLS-AM News
