ISACo

To view the entire Illinois Adult Use Cannabis Monthly Sales Figures report please click here.

The rise of hate in our state and across the country is alarming. At the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes (CDHC), we regularly hear about entire communities feeling unsafe, targeted, and afraid. Data bears out this dramatic and frightening increase of bias incidents and hate crimes. "Hate should never have a home here in Illinois," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Alongside the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, I call on all Illinoisans to reject hate, alienation, and bias in favor of empathy. When we treat one another with respect and dignity, it protects us all." In times of crisis, we may be inclined to turn against each other. Groups that are targeted with bias and hate may focus on other targeted populations as the source of their strife, feeding the weeds of blame, mistrust, and hate, harming all vulnerable populations. Hate is an insidious impulse and emotion that adapts, shifts its target, and manifests in a range of pernicious behaviors; when hate against one group is allowed to flourish, it inevitably will shift and target another group, often led by malicious opportunists.

On December 5, 2023, Governor JB Pritzker was joined by Dollywood Foundation Executive Director Nora Briggs, United Way of McLean County President and CEO David Taylor, local officials, parents, and community members at the Bloomington Public Library for the statewide launch of Illinois' partnership with The Dollywood Foundation to provide Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. This book gifting program mails free, high-quality, and age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five, regardless of the family's income. Governor Pritzker's FY24 budget allocates $1.6 million to the program to support early childhood learning in Illinois and instill lifelong reading practice.

The Illinois sports betting market joined in on a record-setting September, notching its own monthly handle high while helping push nationwide handle to new heights. The recently released state report from the Illinois Gaming Board shows bettors staked $1.078 billion in September, the most in Illinois sports betting history. September marked the sixth time monthly handle eclipsed the $1 billion mark and bested the previous high-water mark set in January 2023 at $1.070 billion.

December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. With two major holidays and many people on the road traveling, December is a deadly month for drunk driving. The intention of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month is to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving. Impaired driving refers to operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or other substances that can restrict a person's ability to drive safely. Impaired driving is a critical public safety issue, which is why drivers will notice an increase in law enforcement patrols and sobriety checkpoints throughout the month of December. NEVER get behind the wheel of a vehicle if you are impaired. Impaired driving is a significant cause of traffic accidents, injuries, and fatalities.