By: Diane Benjamin
When government tries to control all aspects of production, marketing, and sales of any product it will fail. The Illinois cannabis law means the black market will likely be stronger than ever. Why would users buy from government and be taxed for the privilege?
They won’t.
Jenn Carrillo has a poll on her Facebook page. I hear she sent it to supporters and not to people who would vote NO to the Council authorizing cannabis sales in Bloomington. If you are on Facebook and want to vote, go to Jenn Carrillo – Bloomington City Council Member, Ward 6.
Decatur just joined Lake Forrest, Bolingbrook, Frankfurt, Naperville, Bloomingdale, Wheaton, Grayslake, Downers Grove, Hinsdale, and Lake Zurich banning cannabis sales. Many other cities have yet to vote, a complete list of cities banning sales is difficult to find.
Why are they banning this revenue goldmine? Because it isn’t goldmine. The law is badly written. State regulations will do nothing to curtail the black market, it will merely de-criminalize possession of small amounts.
This is a link to what the Decatur City Council saw before deciding: https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wandtv.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/1a/81a2514a-e3ee-11e9-a13e-f7685c9acbc3/5d92b22a3dbb3.pdf.pdf
See PDF page 9. It has a list of key points in the law. Here are my favorites:
It appears the law is subject to changes. As written it looks like cities can’t collect taxes until September 1st even though the law goes into effect January 1st. It seems like every organization trying to explain the law has a different take on some aspects.
Decatur mentioned they can always reconsider in the future. Their City Manager laid out options and sample ordinances on PDF page 4. The Council vote was 6-1 against allowing sales in the City limits. One of the reasons given was sales would be in “cash” because it is still illegal under federal. Cash sales not only could increase crime, it also makes accounting fraud more likely.
Carrillo wants to rush into approving sales in Bloomington even though Bloomington may not get one of the few licenses available from the State. It appears other cities are taking a smarter approach and waiting to see how the law is put into effect.
One more thing you likely didn’t know:
Bloomington has a long list of “ordinance violations” they have been prosecuting themselves in their Administrative Court. Most people would consider some items on this list criminal – not civil: https://ecode360.com/34409209
This link describes what the City Council passed to establish their own court: https://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=7595
This does make prosecuting easier, it also means offenders don’t have a criminal record.
I think most people believed the City’s Administrative Court was for prosecuting things like failure to mow your grass. It isn’t. Worse, hearings are not always held at City Hall as stated in the ordinance:
Email received by FOIA, I redacted the Defendant, the “victim” was already redacted (victim?):
Why are bench trials held at the Police Station when the ordinance says City Hall?
No idea.
Carrillo organized the first meeting of the “Task Force” for tomorrow. She will likely try to make herself chair. The City ordinances need changed because they talk about cannabis as a criminal activity. Maybe the City is planning on new revenue via Administrative Court. How many people are going to grow their own not knowing that is still illegal? The law produces many more possible “ordinance violations”. There’s the gold mine.
If you substitute the word liquor for the word cannabis, it becomes obvious how well all of these laws and regulations are going to work. Bath tub gin, bootleg whiskey, rum runners, speak easys, pocket flasks; Prohibition did not work.
Cannabis was grown legally right here in McLean County during WWII. There was a processing plant in Lexington. Bear in mind, the longest bong in the world was built and displayed in Bloomington. I don’t recall the City Fathers or anyone else throwing a hissy fit. Capitalism and freedom, and the personal responsibilities that are necessary with freedom, need to be given consideration.
The difference between back then and now is that Tari Renner wasnt controlling the city and everything in it.
Have you been to a dispensary before in states where it’s legal? I’ve been to one in Oregon and Colorado. They are safer than any liquor store I’ve been to.
Do you know what the going rate for a gram or ounce of marijuana is on the black market compared to a dispensary? It sounds like you have very limited knowledge on Cannabis. As far as cash transactions go, see the recent bipartisan passage of the SAFE Banking Act by the US House of Representatives. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation.
Many other industries like Insurance, banking, etc. are making money from CBD, hemp, weed. Legalization of Hemp in the 2018 Farm Bill further opened up Pandora’s box. I understand you’re extremely upset and still oppose adults smoking marijuana. You can’t always get what you want though. Marijuana Prohibition was a disaster. Please take the time to learn more about this ever-growing market.
I have read lots of reports from Colorado. Deaths, crime, black market sales – it isn’t nirvana.
We have read the same reports, obviously ! Just wait till we get a DUP(driving under pot) on vets pkwy. You can write all the laws and all the rules you want but we will still see the same results , innocents being killed by toked up morons! Its scary enough driving in BLONO, but add to it POT and its going to be a total nightmarish disaster for alot of innocent people.
The fact that this is not a gold mine is not what motivates and excites them. Stickin’ it to Us is what drives their every move. If it harms people, families, children, they don’t care. If it adversely effects neighborhoods, they could not care less. They’ll just invent more government run agencies and hire more government employees to take care of the “collateral damage.” The cities and towns listed above that will not be allowing these dispensaries actually CARE about their communities and the people who live there. It can never be said that renner and koos care about BN and the people who live here. Their power and the radical transformation of BN is all they care about.
When the largest Mafia organization in the state (Illinois Government) is going to be in charge of who can buy and sell something , that should straight up be legal, we have a problem. Illinois is not other states.
Government control: Think Amtrak and our Obamacare. That oughta keep you awake at night!
“You can’t always get what you want” is the song at Trump rallies
It’s very sad how the laws are being twisted even ignored by the majority of Alt-Leftist city leaders I just found out the type of characters on this supposed unbiased Cannabis Task Force we see the likes of Jenn Carrillo, Professor Emig and if it couldn’t get any worse Linda Foster a person that always lets any power go to her egotistic head and with her on the task force knowing her character it wouldn’t surprise me if they would eventually legalize cocaine! I guess it also shouldn’t surprise us that their Kangaroo court could is being set at the Bloomington Police Station instead of City Hall now that we have the new soft on crime liberal Police Chief!
You remind me of my pothead roommate of 35 years ago. The guy would sit in his chair buzzed waxing about the positive effects of pot and how it would be an economic windfall when the only thing he cared about was getting high as often as possible. In a way I hope all the buzzheads get everything they want and more from this. Time will prove all you amateur agronomists we’re wrong about everything. If it stayed in living rooms no one would care but you and I both know it won’t. Just like the cartels, the legal growers and sellers don’t care whose lives they ruin as long as they can make tons of money without working that hard. The same problems will only get worse just like any other substance abuse. People will drive high, be high more in public, add to healthcare costs and likely hurt others from abuse of another hallucinating product. My brother in law is a cop in Colorado. He says people can’t take their kids anywhere to public places because they have all been taken over by the potheads. It would be nice if you guys would be honest in five years and re-evaluate the public effects and costs but none of you will. Let’s all get stoned.
I think of the boyfriend who introduced me to pot. I did not continue using & went on to a successful career & am reaping the rewards of retiring at 55 & lifetime pension. He stuck with weed & at age 69 doesn’t have a pot (so to speak) to pee in & survives on Soc. Sec. His life never moved on from the pot smoking days. What a loser. I’m glad I moved on without him !
I was sent a notice from the administrative court. They totally misread an ordinance, but it costs $100 to fight it. So I just complied. What bureaucratic bunk!