Legalization of marijuana for medical or recreational use has been a discussion of interest within the past year in the United States. With states such as Colorado, California, Washington and other states legalizing marijuana for recreational, medical or both uses have caused an increase of attention. At the federal level of government, marijuana is illegal to use for both medical and recreational. As the popularity of using marijuana rises, legislators are listening to more interest groups that either support or do not support the legalization of marijuana. These legislators can then in turn decide if legalization should be voted by the constituents in their area. If the constituents approve the legalization of marijuana, then proceeds to how the drug will be regulated and the …show more content…
These advocates believe that by legalizing the drug, that the state’s budget crisis will then be solved (Sepeda-Miller, 2017, p.1). If Illinois decided to legalize marijuana, then there would be certain requirements to obtain or grow the drug. Lawmakers such as republican Kelly Cassidy stated that if marijuana is legalized then there could be a boost within the income from tax revenue and possible new jobs (Sepeda-Miller, 2017, p.5). Illinois’s government has been finding ways to raise revenue for the state and has decided to considering marijuana as one of their options. Legalizing marijuana can be a difficult topic to discuss, but the legislators have decided to introduce the topic, but will not “move legislation forward in the current session” (Sepeda-Miller, 2017, p.7). Not only is marijuana illegal at the federal level, but regulations from the federal could stop the discussion of possible legalization. Legislators are diligently working to either keep the policy the same in Illinois or to be open about marijuana becoming legal within