The Illinois Senate approved the so-called  “Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act” (HB 1438 Senate Amendment 2) late yesterday by a vote of 38–17 with two voting present and two not voting. This bill now moves to the Illinois House for consideration. We have been told that Governor Pritzker has been making personal calls to lawmakers, promising them favors for their yes vote.

A new and slightly different “recreational” marijuana bill has been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly.This new 610 page proposal, Senate Amendment 2 to HB 1438, is now moving quickly in the Illinois General Assembly, as proponents want to beat the end of session deadline, which is this Friday, May 31st.  This effort has the power of the governor behind it.

State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) have spent 2 years developing and promoting their proposal to legalize “recreational” marijuana in Illinois. On May 7th, their 533-page bill (SB 7) was introduced in the Illinois Senate....

“Any change in drug policy should reduce drug use, not increase it,” states Dr. Aaron Weiner, licensed clinical psychologist and Director of Addiction Services at Linden Oaks Behavioral Health in Naperville. Dr. Weiner succinctly details the facts that refute Illinois...

Live from last month’s Coachella Valley Music Festival, on April 20, one day before Easter, Craig Gross went public about his new web-based venture. Marijuana laws are loosening nationwide, and he’s launching ChristianCannibas.com to get the church talking about it. He wants the conversation to be larger than matters of legality or distinctions between medicinal vs. recreational use. Mainly, he wants to tell people about the benefits he’s personally experienced since it came into his life.

Abu Edwards, National Director for Smart Approaches to Marijuana, has an impassioned message for Illinois legislators who are pursuing a headlong rush to legalize weed – slow down, or better yet, stop altogether! Based on personal experience, Edwards describes the...

Pastor Gregory Livingston, interim pastor of New Hope Baptist Church on the west side of Chicago, is bold enough to speak the blunt truth (pun intended) about the “hopped-up super weed” that Governor JB Pritzker and the Democrats in Springfield are eager to legalize – or as Livingston states, “weaponized” against disadvantaged communities.

Once again, high potency marijuana is in the news. Governor J.B. Pritzker and several state lawmakers held a press conference this past Saturday to announce their bill (SB 7) to legalize marijuana for "recreational" use in Illinois.

If anyone still thinks marijuana is a harmless drug, Theodore Jones’ testimony proves otherwise. Jones, a substance abuse counselor and manager at Pacific Garden Mission and a “former recovering drug addict,” found physical and spiritual salvation through the ministry of PGM.

Illinois Senate Bill 7 to legalize and commercialize passed out of committee this week as a “shell bill”.  The sponsor said they are still working on the language for the bill and will file an amendment by the end of...

The pitfalls and perils of marijuana legalization are well-documented. But whenever we discuss that research here on BreakPoint, we’re accused of not having the right research. What that means is that we’ve used studies that contradict the very vocal advocates ...

There are various situations and circumstances that contribute to the growing problem of homelessness in America. According to Pastor Phil Kwiatkowski, president of Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, the factor that most often leads to homelessness is drug use and...

Ten states and Washington, D.C., have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Twenty-two other states, along with U.S. territories Puerto Rico and Guam, allow marijuana to be used for medical purposes. Let's examine some hidden issues about marijuana use. Before we start, permit me to state my values about medical or recreational use of any drug. We each own ourselves. If we choose to take chances with substances that can ruin our health, lead to death and otherwise destroy our own lives, that's our right. But we do not have a right to harm others in the process of harming ourselves.