Elena Quintana, Ph.D., Executive Director for the Adler University Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice, penned a letter to the editor in The Chicago Sun-Times, published on December 29. She urged Chicago and Illinois officials to delay the legal sale of marijuana until they can create a more equitable approach.

“Our state vowed to go further than other states and create recreational marijuana laws that put racial equity at the forefront. That vow has gone unfulfilled.” Quintana said. “Illinois and Chicago have the opportunity to be shining examples for our nation by crafting powerful policies that promote rather than destroy social equity.”

Read The Chicago Sun-Times letter to the editor, “Chicago is Ignoring Racial Equity by Moving Ahead with Recreational Pot Sales on Jan. 1.”