Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill into law Tuesday making his state the eleventh to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
Pritzker, a Democrat elected in 2018, campaigned on the issue, telling voters that legalizing the drug would reduce opioid overdoses, increase tax revenue, and assist with prison reform. The law is set to go into effect at the beginning of 2020.
The law also expunges the criminal records of those who were arrested for purchasing or possessing 30 grams of marijuana or less.
“Legalizing adult-use cannabis brings an important and overdue change to our state, and it’s the right thing to do. This legislation will clear the cannabis-related records of nonviolent offenders through an efficient combination of automatic expungement, gubernatorial pardon and individual court action,” Pritzker said in a statement after signing the bill.
A number of states have legalized marijuana for medical use, but Illinois now joins a smaller slate of 10 states and Washington, D.C., which have legalized the drug for recreational use.
