Chicago's Governor JB Pritzker pardoned over 11,000 with low-level marijuana convictions on Tuesday (December 31), which he said is a first wave of thousands of expungements under the state’s new marijuana legalization law. Clearing the offenses will now make it easier for them to get jobs, housing and financial aid for college. It's estimated that 116,000 convictions are eligible for pardons under the new law.
Pritzker stated, "We are ending the 50-year-long war on cannabis. We are restoring rights to many tens of thousands of Illinoisans. We are bringing regulation and safety to a previously unsafe and illegal market. And we are creating a new industry that puts equity at its very core." You can check out his full statement above.
