Consumers who buy cannabis products in Illinois may help reduce the number of carjackings, shootings and other forms of violence that occur in parts of Chicago, the south suburbs and other areas of the state.

That’s the theory behind a groundbreaking program billed as the nation’s first of its kind. The innovative concept in restorative justice is about to get its first infusion of cash, more than a year after Illinois began allowing people to buy cannabis for recreational use.

“No other state has done this,” said Christian Perry, community development manager for Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. “No other state has said, ‘We’re going to take a portion of this revenue and put it right back into the community.’”

– Read the entire article at Chicago Tribune.