Chicago aldermen push for stiffer penalties on marijuana smoking, sales around schools and parks

CHICAGO - Aldermen advanced a proposed ordinance Tuesday that stiffens penalties for marijuana-related offenses near Chicago schools and parks - and could include sharp punishments for smoking cannabis in public.

The measure would expand the city's long-standing "safe passage" laws that already place steep minimum fines and jail sentences for weapons violations near such locations. With Tuesday's vote, aldermen moved closer to adding more offenses tied to cannabis consumption to the mix.

The ordinance affecting parks, playgrounds and "student safety zones" is an effort to crack down on marijuana sales in areas where children are present, chief sponsor Ald. Gilbert Villegas told the City Council Public Safety Committee.

"If you get two or three tickets for your vehicle, you get the boot. Here, folks are allowed to sell cannabis, and there's no remediation, no path that (police) can take to address the issue," Villegas said. "I'm not trying to lock them up and throw away the key, I'm not. But there's a void here."

But in its effort to crack down on repeat drug dealers with fines of up to $20,000 and jail sentences as long as six months, it would also set harsher penalties for people who smoke marijuana in public.

Smoking and possessing marijuana are legal in Illinois, but a city ordinance already on the books outlaws public consumption. Since Villegas' proposal doesn't focus solely on sales, that means Chicagoans cited for smoking weed in the prescribed areas could face escalating fines and even jail time if the measure passes a full City Council vote that could occur as soon as next week.

In addition to parks and playgrounds, the measure would apply to places within 1,000 feet of a school or designated as part of a "safe passage" route for students traveling to school.

Asked about the possibility of people who use marijuana in public being hit with the heightened penalties, Villegas said enforcement would be "at the discretion of a police officer." It is more likely that police would ask rule-breakers to move along or stop it, but officers would gain a much-needed tool if smokers - or sellers -- refuse to, he said.

While people do smoke marijuana in public places that would be affected by the proposed ordinance, including parks, strict enforcement by police is rare.

"I don't think there will be a judge that says, ‘I'm going to throw the book at you because you're smoking weed in a park,'" Villegas said.

Villegas argued the measure will help ensure the city's licensed cannabis dispensaries are not undercut by bootleg sellers and said unlicensed sales are far too common.

Aldermen were scheduled to discuss the measure last week, but faced a delay after Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez invoked a rule that required the meeting to be disbanded because too few aldermen were present.

The measure passed in a voice vote Tuesday with no apparent pushback.

After the Tuesday meeting, Sigcho-Lopez said he opposes open-air drug selling near schools and parks, but believes the ordinance needs "defining."

"Going after people who are just hanging out in parks versus trafficking drugs, there's a difference," Sigcho-Lopez said.

The version of the ordinance discussed Tuesday included several major changes proposed by Villegas. An earlier version would have targeted a sweeping array of drug-related crimes, but the one that moved forward Tuesday focused only on marijuana offenses.

Villegas also toned down penalties for first offenses. First-time offenders would be required to perform up to 100 hours of community service or participate in a restorative justice program. An earlier version included large fines and months in jail.

Penalties would increase for repeat offenses. A second offense would trigger a fine of between $1,000 and $5,000, 120 days to six months in jail or between 100 and 200 hours of community service - or some combination of the three.

By the time someone violated the ordinance a fourth time, those punishments would jump to a fine of between $10,000 and $20,000, six months in jail or between 500 and 1,000 hours of community service.

Ald. Raymond Lopez championed the measure during the meeting.

"Children going to the park trying to play a soccer game should not get a contact high simply because people are at the other end smoking weed like they're reenacting a Cheech and Chong video," he said.

____

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 7:47 PM.