Cook County voters to see recreational marijuana question on ballot

POSTED 9:12 AM, DECEMBER 14, 2017, BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO — Voters in Cook County will get the chance to vote on a non-binding question in the March primary on whether recreational marijuana should be legalized.

County commissioners voted unanimously on Wednesday to put the advisory referendum on the ballot. Such questions are used to gauge support of an issue and could help state lawmakers determine whether to pursue the issue with legislation in Springfield.

Supporters say legalizing and taxing marijuana for adults could boost revenue for state and local governments, as it has elsewhere.

Opponents elsewhere have raised questions about social cost and subverting federal laws.

The question will ask if Illinois should legalize “the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products for recreational use by adults 21 and older.”