#MarijuanaMondays Campaign Launches At Robert Crown Center

HINSDALE, IL — The legalization of marijuana is fast approaching in Illinois, and one west suburban community resource center is looking to educate everyone about it on a weekly basis. The social media campaign #MarijuanaMondays has been launched by the Robert Crown Center for Health Education in Hinsdale, which in a news release says came about as a response to thousands of parents in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs "looking for a trusted source of information on the topic."

“There is so much misinformation about marijuana use that we thought it was important to start a campaign sharing facts with the public so that everyone can make informed decisions,” Robert Crown Center Executive Director Barb Thayer said.

During the campaign, important facts and news about marijuana will be shared on
Robert Crown’s Facebook and Twitter accounts with the hashtag #MarijuanaMondays, according to the center.

Illinois will become the 11th state to have legalized recreational marijuana on Jan. 1, 2020 and was the first to do so legislatively back in June when Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill into law.

The bill allows for Illinois residents age 21 and up to buy and possess up to 30 grams of marijuana or equivalent amounts of edibles with 500 milligrams of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, or 5 grams of cannabis concentrate. Non-residents will be allowed half as much.

While it will become legal statewide, a number of municipalities have already banned dispensaries from opening. Just last week, south suburban Frankfort prohibited the sale of recreational cannabis within village limits.

But for many parents and teachers, the issue is about how to approach the subject with children. And how best to educate them. That's what #MarijuanaMondays aims to do, Katie Gallagher, director of education at Robert Crown, said.

“Those that work with youth in our community, particularly parents and teachers want to
know how best to educate young people about marijuana, especially as use becomes
more out in the open,” she said. “They are looking for facts to share with young people regarding marijuana’s impact as well as the best ways to talk to them.”

Patch Editor Jonah Meadows contributed to this article