Rep. Marty Moylan, NAACP and Smart Approaches to Marijuana-Illinois Share Opposition to New Marijuana Bill
(Chicago, IL) – With under a month left to go in the 2019 legislative session, Governor J.B. Pritzker and lawmakers have released a more than 500-page bill that would commercialize and legalize marijuana in Illinois. Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, and key members of the Smart Approaches to Marijuana-Illinois (SAM-IL) coalition including the NAACP and health care professionals gathered in Chicago today to share their serious concerns and opposition to this bill.
“With just weeks left in the session, we are now seeing a massive bill that will have far-reaching and devastating consequences for our citizens, our communities and our state,” said Rep. Moylan. “From increased drugged driving to impacts on our youth, marijuana has brought numerous, negative consequences to other states, and we don’t want that in Illinois too. Lawmakers should take a step back and look at the real impact this legislation will have on our state, and oppose this bill.”
Rep. Moylan is also the sponsor of a bipartisan House Resolution urging lawmakers to slow down on their push for legal marijuana. It has 60 co-sponsors.
“Community leaders, health care professionals, law enforcement, legislators, faith leaders and concerned citizens are all coming together and opposing marijuana legalization,” said Omari Prince, State Director of SAM-IL. “This is not a done deal, and we will continue to work tirelessly to oppose this bill because once we say ‘yes’ to welcoming Big Marijuana into our state, it will be incredibly hard to go back and undo the damage.”
“The legalization of marijuana does not impact the African-American community in a positive way,” said Abu Edwards, Director of State Affairs for SAM Action. “This is not the hope that we want for our communities. Legalization of marijuana sends one message and one message only to our kids: that it is okay for them to use drugs.”
To view the press conference, please click here.