While the nation’s attention was focused on the presidential race, one issue appeared and was approved by voters on five state ballots : legalized marijuana.

Voters in Arizona, New Jersey, Montana and South Dakota approved the legalization of recreational weed, while South Dakota also joined Mississippi in legalizing medical marijuana.

There are now 16 states in which recreational marijuana is legal. The others are Illinois, Alaska, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington state and Colorado. Speaking of Colorado, voters there took their acceptance of drug use one step further on Tuesday — they approved the legalization of magic mushrooms. Whoa.

As of October, our State of Illinois made over 100 million dollars in tax revenue from cannabis taxes. In September, the $20 Million made in adult-use cannabis tax revenue rivaled the state’s liquor tax revenue for the month!

There are currently 67 licensed recreational dispensaries in Illinois, with 75 more coming soon. 185 are planned, but the awarding of the new selling and growing licenses has been delayed for a variety of reasons, including COVID.

What do you think, should drug laws be uniform state to state? Are we ready to take marijuana off the list of national DEA list of schedule one banned drugs? Has the public spoken?

Schedule I

Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are:

heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote

I’m for anything that helps anxiety, delivery drivers/restaurants, and our state debt. And if it relieves suffering without causing addiction for medical patients too? I think you can tell what side I’m on.

Susan Saunders 11/5/20