GENOA CITY – Walworth County police departments are not witnessing an increase in marijuana arrests since the drug was legalized for recreation use in Illinois at the start of the year.
Recreational marijuana use in Illinois became legal for consumers age 21 or older, and the state saw $3.2 million worth of sales in the first day. According to the Chicago Tribune, Illinois dispensaries have sold nearly $40 million in pot since Jan. 1.
But in Wisconsin, where marijuana remains illegal, people who cross the border with pot can be arrested for possession.
However, so far, Walworth County law enforcement officials aren’t seeing a spike in arrests.
“We haven’t seen a huge increase at all,” Walworth County Undersheriff David Gerber said.
Gerber reports that since the start of the year, the county has had about 30 drug busts, which includes arrests for drugs like heroin and methamphetamine. These numbers, over the same time period, are trending in line with the previous two years.
In the town of Linn, police typically record five to 10 citations a year for marijuana-related offenses. They have not confiscated any marijuana since January, and police chief James Bushey thinks that they will see an increase once tourist start coming to the area.
The numbers of drug arrests in the town of Geneva have not significantly increased, either, according to Eric Anderson, the town of Geneva police chief.
“Our officers are continuously training in drug detection and enforcement to help them in the field,” Anderson said.