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Illinois likely to legalize recreational marijuana

Illinois likely to legalize recreational marijuana

The State of Illinois may be among one of the next states to legalize recreational marijuana, according to a study by financial news company.

24/7 Wall St. recently published a report ranking Illinois as one of “the next 15 states to legalize marijuana,” reporting that “few states seem as poised to legalize recreational marijuana use as Illinois.”

The company’s review puts Illinois high on its list because of bills currently pending in the state house and senate that would legalize recreational marijuana with restrictions.

If those bills are enacted, 24/7 Wall St. reports “marijuana sales could add to state coffers an estimated $566 million in excise tax revenue per year and as much as $133 million in sales tax revenue annually.”

In addition to the incentive of extra revenue, the report puts Illinois on its likely-to-legalize list because the state has decriminalized small amounts of marijuana and also legalized it for certain medicinal applications.

24/7 Wall St. reports that the annual adult usage of marijuana in Illinois is 12.3%.

A poll released last March by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale finds two-thirds of Illinois voters support legalizing marijuana for recreational use if it is taxed and regulated like alcohol.

Alaska, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maine, Paul Simon Public Policy, Washington and Washington, D.C. have all legalized recreational marijuana.

credit:420intel.com