Illinois governor plans to sign recreational marijuana bill

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has scheduled a bill-signing ceremony Tuesday morning in Chicago.

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Marijuana grown at the Cresco Labs in Joliet. | Annie Costabile/Sun-Times

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to make Illinois the nation’s 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana use.

The Democrat has scheduled a bill-signing ceremony Tuesday morning in Chicago. His staff listed the event on his schedule released late Monday night.

The law would allow residents to purchase and possess up to 1 ounce (30 grams) of usable marijuana at a time. Nonresidents could have 15 grams. Up to five privately home-grown plants would be allowed for personal use, but only for patients approved for the existing medical marijuana program.

Ten states and the District of Columbia allow recreational use. Legislation to legalize it in New York and New Jersey this spring fizzled. Discussions in Pennsylvania never got off the ground.

Pritzker campaigned on legalization.

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