(CNN) Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker granted more than 11,000 pardons for low-level marijuana convictions Tuesday -- one day before a sweeping law makes cannabis legal in the state for people 21 and older.

The 11,017 pardons are a small part of the law Pritzker signed in June, making Illinois the 11th state in the nation to legalize weed use by adults. The law is also intended to help people held back from jobs, housing and financial aid for college because of drug convictions, according to state officials.

"We are ending the 50-year long war on cannabis," the Democratic governor, who made the announcement at a church on Chicago's South Side, said in a statement.

"We are restoring rights to many tens of thousands of Illinoisans. We are bringing regulation and safety to a previously unsafe and illegal market. And we are creating a new industry that puts equity at its very core."

State officials said about 116,000 convictions for possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana -- not associated with a violent crime -- are eligible for pardons under the new law.

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