Cook County, Ill., attorney to no longer prosecute for misdemeanor amount of marijuana!!!!!

[dixiegrrrrl]

Breaking News headline just now.

ok...found a newspaper source:

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez will hold a news conference Monday to announce reforms to low-level drug offenses, including dismissal of all future misdemeanor marijuana cases, a spokeswoman said Sunday.

"If someone is caught with a misdemeanor amount of marijuana, the state's attorney's office will no longer prosecute that case," Alvarez spokeswoman Sally Daly said. This program will be for people with less than three arrests or citations, she said.

The announcement, scheduled for 10:15 a.m. at the state's attorney's office, is part of the sweeping overhaul that will also address how the office prosecutes small amounts of recreational drugs including Ecstasy, cocaine and heroin.

Alvarez is expected to detail the creation of an alternative prosecution program aimed at diverting nonviolent, repeat drug offenders out of the criminal justice system, her office said in a news release Sunday afternoon. The program, designed for those charged with Class 4 felony possession — currently punishable by up to a $25,000 fine or one to three years in prison, or both — will attempt to address chronic drug use and addiction as a public health issue. Repeat offenders are expected to be linked with social service agencies for treatment rather than face criminal penalties.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-drug-policy-reform-met-20150419-story.html