Just over a year after adult use recreational cannabis became legal in Illinois, over 490,000 non-felony cannabis arrest records have been expunged, according to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Office.
The expungements are part of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA) signed into law in 2019. The law required that arrest records from 2013 to 2019 be expunged by the start of this year and the rest be expunged by 2025. The 492,129 that have already been expunged puts the Illinois State Police four-years ahead of schedule.
While cannabis arrest records have been expunged on the state level, local counties are still working on clearing their arrest records. Counties have until 2025 to wrap up.
Under the CRTA, 25 percent of revenue collected from cannabis sales in Illinois will be directed to communities disproportionately affected by cannabis laws. The state anticipates it will released $25-million to organizations in under-served communities.
Governor J.B. Pritzker says Illinois can never remedy the depth of damage caused by cannabis laws, primarily on communities of color, but that the state can admit its errors and find a better way to move forward.
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