Gov. Pritzker Joins SA Foxx to File Motions to Vacate Low-Level Cannabis Convictions

CHICAGO — Governor JB Pritzker joined Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx today as she filed motions to vacate low-level cannabis convictions at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse at 26^th and California.

For additional information on the statewide approach to expungements, please see the attached document.

The following are the Governor’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

Thank you so much to our State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who has played such a critical role in this process – not just in its implementation but in its creation through the legislative process, advocating for the most extensive, meaningful conviction relief possible. And the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has continued to lead the way in reform through its innovative partnership with Code for America in delivering cannabis conviction relief.

Thanks also for the years-long efforts of activists and advocates, and the courage of our partners on both sides of the aisle in the General Assembly. As a result of their work, Illinois now has the most forward-thinking and equitable approach to cannabis legalization in the nation.

A criminal record carries with it more than stigma. It prevents people from being considered for job opportunities, from getting a loan or a mortgage, from renting an apartment, from applying for financial aid for college, from getting a professional license and more. In sum, it can crush a person’s ability to live a full and dignified life.

Statewide, hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans are held back by their low-level cannabis-related records, a burden disproportionately shouldered by communities of color. And hundreds of thousands of others have had to watch their friends and loved ones struggle because of an arrest or conviction they got for something that will be legal starting on January 1st. This is to say nothing of the fact that arrest rates and prosecution have never reflected consumption rates across racial lines.

We will never be able to fully remedy the depth of that unfairness and the damage it visited upon so many families. But we can govern our state with the courage to admit the mistakes of our past—and the decency to correct the record and set a better path forward.

Today marks another important step in righting the injustices of the past. The 1,000 names that State’s Attorney Foxx began to read in that courtroom represent 1,000 real people who will be given a second lease on life. And this is only the beginning.

Before we take questions, I want to remind everyone that yesterday kicked off the application window for a new group of cannabis dispensaries and a chance for new entrepreneurs to succeed in this new market. Social equity applicants will be eligible for the 75 licenses that will be granted in the next few months – and they’ll be able to get business loans to get off the ground, funded by the existing industry. Applicants have until January 2nd to submit their applications for a cannabis dispensary. Now and in the coming weeks, our Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will be hosting workshops across the city of Chicago and throughout the state to answer questions and assist applicants. In fact, I was pleased to see that we had a full house at their workshop in Englewood on Monday night.

And before I introduce the next speaker, I want to take a moment to recognize the solemnity of the proceeding we witnessed today in Judge Evans’ courtroom. We honored the victims of the War on Drugs and we will continue to do so in the days and months ahead.

Thank you all, and now it’s my great pleasure to introduce one of the leaders of cannabis legalization in Illinois and a passionate advocate for social justice, Rep. Kelly Cassidy.

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