HR0700 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0700 LRB103 40228 LAW 72153 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Recreational marijuana was legalized on January 1, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive component in marijuana; and

WHEREAS, Marijuana of the 1960s and 1970s contained around 2 to 3% THC; today, marijuana contains THC levels of 80% or more, making it very dangerous; and

WHEREAS, The evidence of harm regarding high-potency marijuana use is overwhelming; and

WHEREAS, According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 1,009 car fatalities in Illinois in 2019; after marijuana legalization, there were 1,337 car fatalities in Illinois in 2021, the highest death toll since 2005; and

WHEREAS, In 2013, the year after Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, traffic deaths where drivers tested positive for THC increased by 138% while traffic deaths in Colorado overall increased by 29%; and

WHEREAS, In January 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that more potent cannabis and more frequent use are contributing to higher rates of psychosis, especially in young people; and

WHEREAS, A 2017 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that one psychotic episode following cannabis use was associated with a 47% chance of developing schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, while the risk of developing bipolar or schizophrenic disorders was highest for cannabis users aged 16 to 25 and had a greater influence than alcohol, opioids, amphetamines, and hallucinogens; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Deepali Gershan, an addiction psychiatrist at Compass Health Center in Northbrook, stated that up to 20% of her caseload consists of patients whom she suspects experienced psychotic episodes that were triggered by marijuana use; and

WHEREAS, Examples of individuals who experienced cannabis-induced psychosis include foreign exchange student Levi Thamba Pongi from the Republic of Congo, who ate one pot-laced cookie and jumped to his death from a 4-story balcony in Colorado on March 11, 2014, Richard Kirk of Colorado, a father of three who threatened suicide after eating marijuana-laced candy and then shooting his wife in the head while she spoke to a 911 operator on April 17, 2014, and Bryn Spejcher of California, who suffered a psychotic incident after getting high on high potency marijuana and stabbed her boyfriend 108 times in 2018; and

WHEREAS, Multiple acts of mass shootings and domestic terrorism have occurred by habitual or heavy users of today's typically high THC-level marijuana, including, but certainly not limited to, shooter Jared Loughner, who killed six and injured 14 at then-U.S. Representative Gabrielle Gifford's constituent meeting in Tucson, Arizona in 2011, shooter James Holmes, who killed 12 and injured dozens at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado in 2012, bombers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who killed four and injured over 250 at the Boston Marathon in 2013, and shooter Devin Patrick Kelly, who killed 27 and injured 20 people attending First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas in 2017; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Public Health states that marijuana use affects the parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning, attention, decision-making, coordination, emotions, and reaction time; and

WHEREAS, In 2020, Psychology Today reported that individuals who began marijuana use the earliest and continued throughout adulthood lose, on average, eight IQ points, which is sufficient enough to alter academic success and job opportunities; and

WHEREAS, The 2022 Marijuana Legalization Illinois Impact Report found that some marijuana products are infused with up to 500 milligrams of THC; and

WHEREAS, By comparison, Vermont has set potency limits of 5 milligrams of THC per serving, and Connecticut has limited edibles containing THC to 5 milligrams per serving; and

WHEREAS, Citing the dramatic surge in vehicle crashes, increased THC levels, and a rise in diagnoses of psychosis linked to marijuana use, the Illinois State Medical Society supports capping THC levels at 10%; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Illinois General Assembly to cap THC levels in marijuana by placing limits on the amount of THC contained in retail products, placing limits on the amount of cannabis a retailer can sell to an individual in a single transaction or over a period of time based on the amount of THC contained, and implementing a seed-to-sale tracking system, allowing regulatory agencies to view every gram of legal cannabis as it migrates through the supply chain, including monitoring ingredients added to cannabis that are eventually sold in retail stores.