Illinois Laws and Programs

Increases in the severity of Illinois drug laws and the enforcement of those laws have been the driving forces behind the explosive growth of the state's criminal justice system over the past four decades. Changes in the state's drug laws first occurred in the 1970s and early 1980s. These laws are specified in the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, the Cannabis Control Act, the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act, and the Drug Paraphernalia Control Act. Drug violations are generally classified into possession offenses or manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver offenses. Punishments are determined by the weight of the drugs when seized, measured in grams. In the late 1980s the threshold weight for Class 1 felony possession for cocaine and heroin ...