Many cannabis enthusiasts saw it as another reason to light up: in a span of three days, the Cook County state’s attorney and the Illinois house both took steps to reduce penalties for marijuana possession.
It’s the latest incarnation of what the Reader calls the grass gap: while people smoke marijuana all over Chicago—and Illinois, and beyond—almost everyone busted for it is black.
Citing those findings, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance in 2012 to go easier on some pot possessors. Under the new rules, police officers were allowed to issue tickets to those caught with up to 15 grams (about half an ounce) instead of hauling them to the station to be booked and locked up.
Unfortunately, thousands are still going there.
“What happens is that you get a kid—and maybe he’s trying to make some money or maybe he made a dumb mistake—but he gets caught and he’s got a scarlet letter,” says Mitchell. “He can’t apply for school loans, it’s harder to get a job, and he ends up back on the street. He ends up getting in deeper trouble.”
The bill was shepherded through the house by north-side representative Kelly Cassidy and her Democratic allies, including Mitchell. But two Republicans also signed on as cosponsors, and it’s expected to have the support of Governor Bruce Rauner, another Republican, who’s taken up criminal justice reform in an effort to save money.
