Chicago Police Department Produces Video Explaining New Weed Laws

The Chicago Police Department has produced a video to explain the rules that will apply when recreational cannabis is legalized in Illinois next month. The video was posted to the police department’s Facebook page on Wednesday.

In the video, city police officers explain that beginning January 1, adults 21 and older will be allowed to consume marijuana recreationally. Adults will be permitted to possess and purchase up to 30 grams of cannabis, 5 grams of concentrate, and infused products containing up to 500 milligrams of THC.

The video notes that the home cultivation of cannabis will still be prohibited except for registered medical marijuana patients. Cannabis purchases will only be allowed at dispensaries licensed by the state. Private sales are illegal.

Police officers also explain that while recreational marijuana will become legal in the state on New Year’s Day, people won’t be permitted to light up or nosh on edibles anywhere they’d like. Under the new law, the consumption of cannabis products will be legal in private residences, although property owners and landlords will have the right to ban use by their tenants. Marijuana use will also be permitted in businesses that have been licensed by the state for onsite consumption.

Legal In Chicago Except Where It’s Not

It will still be illegal to consume cannabis in a motor vehicle and locations such as Chicago Transit Authority property including buses and trains, school grounds, restaurants and bars, or any public place. The video defines a public place as “any place where a person can reasonably be expected to be observed by others such as streets, sidewalks, parks and playgrounds, and front porches.”

The video advises that when transporting cannabis in a motor vehicle, it must be in a sealed child-resistant and odor-proof container that is placed in a reasonably inaccessible part of the vehicle. Violations of the ordinance governing cannabis use can result in citations or other enforcement action.

“As we move into the new year, we ask all adults who choose to legally purchase cannabis products do so in a safe and responsible manner in order to ensure the public safety of all Chicago residents,” an officer says as the video wraps up.

City officials in Chicago have also been hosting information sessions for residents to learn more about the upcoming legalization of cannabis in Illinois. Two more community meetings are scheduled for Thursday, December 5 at Malcolm X College and Friday, December 6 in the Breakey Theatre at Chicago State University. Both sessions begin at 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on Facebook and Twitter.