Cook County, Ill., attorney to no longer prosecute for misdemeanor amount of marijuana!!!!!

[dixiegrrrrl]

Breaking News headline just now.

ok...found a newspaper source:

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez will hold a news conference Monday to announce reforms to low-level drug offenses, including dismissal of all future misdemeanor marijuana cases, a spokeswoman said Sunday.

"If someone is caught with a misdemeanor amount of marijuana, the state's attorney's office will no longer prosecute that case," Alvarez spokeswoman Sally Daly said. This program will be for people with less than three arrests or citations, she said.

The announcement, scheduled for 10:15 a.m. at the state's attorney's office, is part of the sweeping overhaul that will also address how the office prosecutes small amounts of recreational drugs including Ecstasy, cocaine and heroin.

Alvarez is expected to detail the creation of an alternative prosecution program aimed at diverting nonviolent, repeat drug offenders out of the criminal justice system, her office said in a news release Sunday afternoon. The program, designed for those charged with Class 4 felony possession — currently punishable by up to a $25,000 fine or one to three years in prison, or both — will attempt to address chronic drug use and addiction as a public health issue. Repeat offenders are expected to be linked with social service agencies for treatment rather than face criminal penalties.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-drug-policy-reform-met-20150419-story.html

[marym625]

1. YAY!

[mucifer]

2. This has more to do with the fact that Illinois is soooo deeply in debt that

even our right wing governor is talking about prison sentence restructuring.

This is very good I did hear it on local radio tonight.

[Bjorn Against]

3. Is it a coincidence that this is being announced on 4/20?

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. Hmmm..maybe they are smarter than we think?????

but it is also Hitler's birthday.
Jus saying....

[Duppers]

4. non-criminalization is coming slowly

but surely. Yay!!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. Good news. Now, if I just knew where to BUY some here in Cook. :-)

[Major Hogwash]

7. Do the Blues Brothers know about this?

I'm jus' saying . . .

[Warren DeMontague]

8. Someone did the math on how many potheads will be at Soldier field July 3-5

And how much better it will be for chicago's economy if they are high and getting deep dish pizza at gino's east, instead of in jail.

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. I think the income will get state's attention sooner than later.

Britain now counts drugs and prostitution as part of its GDP, tho I have not heard quite how they manage that.

[waddirum]

10. frankly, I'm worried about the CPD that weekend

They may see it as one last opportunity to bash some DFHs.