WGLT
Marijuana is too expensive in Illinois, according to Republican state Sen. Jason Barickman of Bloomington, who says he’d support lowering taxes on legal cannabis in the state.
“There are plenty of Illinoisans today who claim they go to other states to buy their cannabis because it is legalized in other states, but it’s cheaper. I think this is an area in which we could make significant improvements,” said Barickman.
Barickman also said the price of legal pot is so high that it still gives people an incentive to buy from non-authorized sources.
And there are other parts of the original law that could be tweaked. There do not appear to have been significant health or safety consequences from legalization, with Barickman likening marijuana regulation to alcohol.
“I think the purchasing limits are an example of an area where the public clearly wants something different. I think we can look to make an expansion there,” he said.
Some lawmakers have suggested the state revisit the administrative structure for cannabis and bring the number of agencies involved from 10 down to one. Barickman said he’d be willing to look at proposals like that, noting the state liquor commission oversees much of the alcohol policy in the state and perhaps a similar approach could work with cannabis.
H/T: www.wglt.org
