In a packed Champaign City Council chamber tonight, citizens voted in an overwhelming margin to approve of placing an advisory question on Champaign ballots in the November election. That question reads:
“Should the State of Illinois legalize and regulate the sale and use of marijuana in a similar fashion as the State of Colorado?”
The motion passed by a staggering margin – 67-5 on the first vote – but only 69 registered voters were in the building, so a vocal vote was done instead and the margin remained evident.
What this means is that the above question will be asked to voters in November. Even then, if the measure is adopted, it’s not at all legally binding, but rather just a way to gauge public opinion. So no, C-U probably won’t be getting legal pot stores in the immediate future, but it’s definitely a big win for progressive politics in Champaign, and an indicator of where things will be headed in the future.
In Urbana, which had a similar meeting earlier tonight, the vote reportedly passed unopposed.