On Thursday, the Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill that would reduce penalties for possession and selling of small amounts of “hard” drugs, including heroin and cocaine.
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Proponents of the bill argue that those in possession of small amounts of such drugs should be charged with a misdemeanor and provided treatment, rather than the harsher, felony charges that exist in current law. Such felony convictions, they argue, punish addicts far into the future, and to an unreasonable extent.
Opponents argue that the reality is that drug dealers will be able to walk with misdemeanors if the bill is enacted as law, handcuffing law enforcement officers and society in general in their efforts to rid the streets of criminals pushing drugs.
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