Carpentersville police are facing backlash after an undercover drug deal was arranged to take place directly across the street from Lakewood Elementary School. The school may have not even known about the deal and subsequent arrest if shots had not been fired. Now parents and community members are enraged that the police would plan such an event so close to an occupied school. read more

A recent Gallup poll showed more than half of Americans favor legalizing marijuana, more than ever before. And with state and local budgets being stretched thin, some communities are seeing a tendency for law enforcement to let pot possession slide without official criminal charges. According to the Sun-Times, this trend has led to a virtual decriminalization of pot within the city of Chicago. read more

This week Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation to make it easier for local law enforcement to combat crime in these difficult financial times. “Every community in Illinois deserves the highest level of public safety, and law enforcement must have the tools to prevent, investigate, and fight crime,” Quinn said about the new laws. “These new laws help ensure that police departments throughout our state have the resources they need to fight drug and gang activity.” read more

Called the “fastest growing drug problem” in the country in this Chicago Sun-Times article, prescription drug abuse has hit communities of all sizes and all types. The lure of prescription drugs is the ease in which they can be obtained and their potent high. read more

Drug convictions can haunt you long after the court dates are over and visits with a probation officer are long since passed. One man, convicted of possessing less than a gram of cocaine over 25 years ago knows this all too well. But, according to the Chicago Tribune he’s battled the powers that be, those that meant to keep him away from the job he wanted, and he won. read more

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently did a feature on Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center, a unique prison designed specifically to help offenders who are incarcerated and battling drug addiction. As the article details, sometimes prison is the wakeup call that addicts need to get their lives straight. read more

Huffing is a long standing method of getting high by inhaling the fumes of various chemical products. In many states, the dangers of this practice have long ago led to it being categorized as a fairly serious drug crime. Now, Illinois is likely next to join those states as officials in Williamson County are pushing for the new legislation. read more