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What Are the Penalties for Breaking the Stay-At-Home Order?Illinois residents have been under a stay-at-home order since March in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 outbreaks in the state. When the order was first announced, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that the police departments did not have the manpower or the desire to enforce the order on an individual level. However, police officers have taken action against people who have violated the order. The Chicago Police Department reported that it issued 4,632 dispersal orders, wrote six citations, and arrested 17 people for violating the stay-at-home order in April. With the order continuing at least through the end of May, it is important to understand when a violation of the order could result in criminal consequences.

Stages of Enforcement

In enforcing the stay-at-home order, police have focused on breaking up large social gatherings and making sure that non-essential businesses remain closed to the public. They generally enforce the order in three stages:

  • People who are violating the order will receive a verbal warning to disperse and a reminder of the order’s requirements.
  • If a person violates the order again, police will deem that person to be deliberately violating the order and issue a citation that includes a fine.
  • Continued violations after the citation may lead to the person being arrested and charged for failing to obey a dispersal order after repeated requests.

The amount of the fine may vary depending on the municipality. In Chicago, a citation for violating the order costs $500. A criminal charge related to violating the order is a misdemeanor, which often does not include mandatory jail time.

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What You Need to Know About Recreational Marijuana in IllinoisOn the first day of 2020, recreational marijuana will officially become legal in Illinois. While this is exciting news for some residents, it is important to know that the possession and use of marijuana will be heavily regulated. You cannot simply possess as much cannabis as you want or smoke it anywhere, though some of these violations will result in merely a fine. As with alcohol, it will still be illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana or to provide marijuana to someone under the age of 21. Here are the important facts you need to know before recreational marijuana becomes legal.

Possession

The amount of marijuana that you can possess will depend on its form, including:

  • No more than 30 grams in flower form
  • No more than 5 grams of cannabis concentrate
  • No more than 500 milligrams of THC in cannabis-infused products

The possession limit for nonresidents of Illinois is half of these amounts. It is illegal for you to grow your own marijuana unless you are a medical marijuana user or a licensed grower. It will be illegal to possess marijuana in a school or any facility meant for childcare. Possessing marijuana in a vehicle, whether you are the driver or a passenger, will be a Class A misdemeanor unless it is sealed in a container. Finally, marijuana possession is still illegal under federal law, meaning you could be charged for possession if you are caught transporting marijuana across state lines or onto federal property.

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