Illinois (ECWd) –
March 9th, 2020, Illinois Governor Pritzker declared a state of Emergency in Illinois. According to US News, Pritzker is quoted as saying, “In every step that we take our priority is getting ahead, and staying ahead in our response and doing so with the safety of our most vulnerable residents at the core of our preparedness“.
If the priority is getting ahead and staying ahead in our response and doing so with the safety of our most vulnerable residents, why would his first executive order deal with cannabis regulations?
The very first Executive Order issued March 12, 2020, Executive Order 2020-03, had NOTHING to do with the safety of our most vulnerable, even though the order outlines who those are.
“WHEREAS, certain populations are at higher risk of experiencing more severe illness as a result of COVID-19, including older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease;”
It appears he was more concerned about the deadlines for in-person application requirements for Cannabis craft grower license applications, infuser license applications, and transporter license applications than those who were the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease.
Even more ironic, Pritzker ensured recreational cannabis was declared an essential business during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic disaster and revenue has streamed into the state from that action, as well as into the pockets of those in that business chain. An action that also has nothing to do with protecting the most vulnerable, a claimed priority of his on March 9th, 2020.
Family ties?
Who knew the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), played leading or key supporting roles in passing comprehensive medical marijuana laws in D.C., Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, as well as laws decriminalizing marijuana possession in D.C., Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island?
Who knew that Joby Pritzker, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s cousin, was the former Chairman of the Board and a long time board member (January 2009 to present according to Linkedin), of MPP?
Who knew that MPP provides Grants to the National Cannabis Industry Association who just happens to represent nearly 2,000 member-businesses and tens-of-thousands of cannabis professionals?
Is it possible that many of those businesses having a financial interest in Cannabis have donated to MPP? While the MPP 990 tax filings here, here and here, do show substantial financial donations being received, who they are received from is not disclosed nor required to be disclosed. The current Chair of MPP, according to the tax records is Troy Dayton, who just happens to also be the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of ArcView.
Their mission? “To forge a principled and profitable industry from the ashes of cannabis prohibition.” Dayton was also a Board member during Joby Pritzker’s time as Chairman.
While we pray that no one would ever put family financial connections and interests ahead of the safety of people, especially during the current pandemic, the Governor’s first actions of focusing on Cannabis matters never made sense and conflicted with his claimed priority of “getting ahead, and staying ahead in our response and doing so with the safety of our most vulnerable residents at the core of our preparedness”.
We challenge the Governor to explain to the people of this state how his first COVID-19 Executive Order did anything for the safety of our most vulnerable residents older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease.
.
Our work is funded entirely thru donations and we
ask that you consider donating at the below link.
15 Comments
jannie
Posted at 13:32h, 09 MayI’m not to surprised about the “relationship” part – all a person has to do is look at the current presidential administration relatives working in the WH & other high positions and contributors to the administration – so the example has been set. I have a problem with the recreational cannabis being classified as essential as just by the name “recreational”, it’s not. I had NO problem with medical marajania (sp) as that does seem to have a medical purpose.
It’s wrong, but with what I’ve seen of politics lately, nothing surprises me.
Dave
Posted at 14:42h, 09 MayApparently you can get high just for fun but I can’t get a haircut
Rush
Posted at 14:47h, 09 MayCannabis is medicine and necessary for tens of thousands of people to function. Getting your hair-did is non-essential.
Chris
Posted at 20:45h, 09 MayThe sun has more medicinal value than weed. Cannabis causes psychosis and psychotic episodes. For heavy users schizophrenia. It has no medicinal value. Just as the tobacco industry lobbied DC in the 50’s for broad use targeted for youth and Hollywood (sold as a weight control measure) cannabis industry has lobbied DC so self serving politicians can line their pockets. We’ll see in a couple decades how devastatingly bad our politicians decisions have harmed Americans.
Duncan Wallace
Posted at 08:02h, 10 MayUtter hogwash Chris.
HT
Posted at 15:52h, 10 MayOf course, we can’t possibly convince the drug addled that anything else in life is essential. Don’t we know by now all of the super powers of pot that we’ve been taught? Ever since high school, I’ve seen the same list of “benefits” that pot has for you. There’s probably a standard list somewhere that junkies can copy/paste each time someone even hints that pot is not the miracle drug.
Here’s a short list:
– pot can treat (or cure?) cancer
– pot is safer than alcohol
– “I know a guy who can do high level math while on pot”
– pharma companies will be destroyed if they allow pot to become legal
– pharma companies and the government conspire to criminalize pot so good research can’t be done to realize pot’s miracle properties
– “research has show that pot is less harmless than cigarettes and alcohol!” (Apparently, forgetfulness is another benefit of smoking pot)
– tobacco is bad, pot is less harmful (apparently, scientific and medical facts about carcinogens differ when tobacco leaves are burned and when mj leaves are burned. Yeah!)
– the drug cartel and their violence will end if pot is legal
– pot is natural, so it can’t be bad for you
– God created pot, so pot can’t be bad for you
– Jesus smoked pot, it’s in the bible
I’m still waiting for my high school pot heads to make a discovery in mathematics or find a cure for the common colds or even cancer. From the looks at my 20- and 30-year high school reunions, those geniuses apparently haven’t smoked enough pot to be that brilliant. Just enough so that none of them have progressed beyond just losing hair, getting fatter and slower in movement and in speech. Oh, and their kids are very “special” too.
Sorry, cool mj dudes, too much for you to read here.
Bastian
Posted at 14:44h, 09 MayIf you have issues with the best state in the midwest suggest you leave and go to any one of republican cesar-pool states. Illinois no longer tolerates ignorant troglodyte bigots.
Kirk Allen
Posted at 17:10h, 09 MayWho said we had issues with the state?
Fedup
Posted at 19:23h, 09 MayBastian, please explain how IL is the best State in the mid-west. Take your time
Eric Blair
Posted at 06:38h, 10 MayHow do you sleep while your bed is burning?
HT
Posted at 15:32h, 10 MayBest state in the Midwest? Wow, what drugs can do to the brain is amazing! Keep yourself in that haze and believe everything is cool. Most likely before 2023, IL will either have another governor and maybe the Chicago mayor in jail, or a healthy exodus of people who can move out of IL. I’ve loved Chicago since 1990, but enough is enough!
Your attitude and outlook have already been tried and failed in may similar corrupt states/cities, where the middle class who mostly fund the corruption finally had enough and left. Check out SF, Detroit, Atlanta, St. Louis, Baltimore, NYC.
By the way, maybe get off the high for a few days before trying to spell.
PK
Posted at 17:43h, 10 MayCannabis tolerance develops when you administer or use [it] regularly. By gosh and by golly too, a troglodyte is, by definition, a deliberately ignorant person. Maybe the ‘ignorant troglodyte’ users are already somewhere else.
Sloan
Posted at 21:04h, 09 MaySo it’s business as usual for Crook County.
PK
Posted at 11:43h, 10 MayEO 2020-03 markets the state of Illinois recreational cannabis industry but certainly not for the Governor’s health emergency declaration! Amid the outbreak, these actions seek a burgeoning Illinois cannabis industry and interstate commerce growth while an unknown but appreciable health risk to others lurks about unjust prevalence. How bout a “decent” explanation, Governor!
Ventilating “..from the ashes of cannabis prohibition.” with: WHAT LOAD of HOOEY!
TJo4IL
Posted at 02:33h, 11 MayNext question. Will the real CoVid Exec Orders 1 & 2 please stand up! The weed growers, etc license application extension IS formally Pritzger’s Exec Order 1, but can also be found numbered as Exec Order 3. What were the original Executive Orders 1 & 2? Were they signed, had a typo or not enough pot related money generators included or what?