Republican state senator approves of recreational pot for Illinois

A Republican state senator has joined those calling for legal recreational marijuana.

State Sen. Jason Barickman, of Bloomington, told the local NPR station that he does not see marijuana use as a moral issue.

“I come as a fiscal conservative who recognizes we need to broaden our tax base. This is an issue that we have talked about through our budget stalemate of the last few years. This is an opportunity to broaden our tax base and hold, if not reduce, the individual income tax rates that today we’re struggling with,” said Barickman.

The senator told the Illinois News Network that he is ready to approve recreational marijuana, but not to co-sponsor a plan.

Last week, Gov. Bruce Rauner opposed any measure of allowing recreational marijuana.

This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Republican state senator approves of recreational pot for Illinois."