In Illinois' first year of recreational cannabis sales, the state reported more than $100 million in tax revenue. Additionally, more than 400,000 minor cannabis-related offenses have been expunged from records as part of Governor J.B. Pritzker's cannabis expungement policies. The expungement process removes charges related to non-violent cannabis possession or use from a person's criminal record.
"It's a very rare, unique opportunity to have a clean slate," Geneva Brown, a CARPLS staff attorney, said.
Brown works on expungement cases through the New Leaf Initiative, which is funded by the state of Illinois and is a project of the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation. CARPLS Legal Aid is one of 20 nonprofits throughout Illinois that is part of the initiative.