Cook County voters will get their say on whether recreational marijuana use should be made legal for adults in Illinois, after commissioners on Wednesday voted to put that question on the March primary ballot.

Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the advisory referendum. Board President Toni Preckwinkle also supports it, and the longtime critic of the war on drugs on Wednesday reiterated her support for marijuana legalization. She has said that current drug laws have a disparate impact on minorities — causing them to languish in jail on minor charges for lack of bail money and giving them a record that makes it hard to land a job.

The referendum is advisory only, so weed would not become legal if the question is approved in the March 20 primary. But a strong showing could help state lawmakers make their case in Springfield for marijuana legalization, as other states have done, both to reform the criminal justice system and raise government revenue through taxes on pot.

“What the referendum seeks to do is let our constituents weigh in. If they’re in favor of it, that’s fantastic,” said Commissioner John Fritchey, a Chicago Democrat and longtime proponent of legalization who proposed the referendum. “If they’re against it, I respect their opinion on that as well. But I think we have the ability to let the public and the legislature specifically know the stance of 40 percent of Illinois population on this issue.”

“This would be on the March 20 primary election ballot, and that’s timely because that comes in the middle of a legislative session down in Springfield,” Fritchey added. “I think it can help us advance the ball a little bit on this issue.”

Fritchey jokingly called the ballot question a “reeferendum.” He said that legalizing and taxing pot could provide the state and local governments with a potent source of revenue, as it has done in other states like Colorado where recreational use was made legal.

A consistent opponent of the now-repealed soda pop tax, Fritchey said taxing pot makes more sense than taxing pop. And he said not having to enforce existing marijuana laws would reduce the costs of running the county’s criminal justice system, including the jail, courts and circuit court clerk’s office.

He said Wednesday that “tens of thousands” of people are arrested each year on minor pot possession charges, only to see those charges later dropped in a vast majority of cases, which he called a “grave injustice.”

“All these people are still left with an arrest record, which makes it very difficult for them to seek employment, to seek housing, seek student loans, things along those lines,” he said.

Not everyone who voted for the referendum is necessarily in favor legalizing marijuana. Commissioner Sean Morrison, a Palos Park Republican, said he was supporting putting the question on the ballot “mainly” to let voters have their say. “I think it should go before the public, and we’ll see what they tell us,” he said.

The referendum question approved by the board reads as follows: “Shall the state of Illinois legalize the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products for recreational use by adults 21 and older subject to state regulation, taxation and local ordinance?”

In other action, the board approved new rules banning sexual harassment and requiring all county officials, workers and lobbyists to undergo training to prevent such offenses. That comes after commissioners last month created a new job in the inspector general’s office for someone to focus on sexual harassment complaints, an addition proposed by Commissioner Richard Boykin, and Oak Park Democrat.

Preckwinkle maintained that a ban on sexual harassment “has long been the policy of the county,” but also noted there’s new state requirement “to codify sexual harassment protocols” in light of the scandals dogging well-known politicians, entertainers and journalists.

“Protecting your employees from harassment is the bare minimum,” she added, saying she had fired unidentified employees for sexual harassment during her first two years in office. “Ensuring diversity in your workplace, particularly in management, is the goal, because to dismiss smart, talented, professional people because they don’t look like the people who have held these jobs for decades does a disservice to all of us.”

hdardick@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @ReporterHal

RELATED