It was an emotional, near overwhelming moment.

Recently, it was my honor to stand alongside others who helped move Illinois new cannabis law through the Illinois General Assembly as Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx read a list of more than 1,000 people whose convictions for marijuana offenses were being expunged.

It was the first step in what ultimately will be tens of thousands of records being erased.

For me, this was the culmination of months of work, miles of travel, hours of meetings and countless sleepless nights alongside heroes and colleagues to push this important piece of reform from hopeful concept to the law of the land.

Because this process the act of removing the burden of an unnecessary criminal offense from a thousand people in our County is what matters.

In this setting, I felt moved when Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that the purpose of this gathering was to honor the victims of the war on drugs. Mr. Governor, you are right. And in the days since we gathered, it is clear to me that we cannot be satisfied when the war on drugs has claimed so many more victims.

It is time finally to unwind the war on drugs in Illinois.

The drug war was not limited to marijuana, and it does not end with legalization. Our work to repair the damage done by the over-criminalization of drug use must be expanded. Our new cannabis law is just a first step, not a final destination.

The governor can be the champion on this issue. Others, including his immediate predecessor, claimed to back criminal justice reform. Now is the time to truly move the issue forward.

Criminal justice reform advocates have urged us for some time to end felony penalties for simple possession of a small amount of all drugs. Such an approach would allow us to take resources we currently squander investigating, arresting, charging and prosecuting people who use drugs, and shift these resources to public health approaches proven to reduce fatal overdose, and expanding access to drug rehabilitation and mental health care programs.

And, it must be noted that many of the thousands of people who will have their cannabis convictions expunged will not enjoy the full benefit, because they may have been in possession of some other drug. We must work to free as many people as we can from the harmful collateral consequences of the war on drugs.

More important, this one simple step would reduce the number of people entering our state prisons each year, reducing mass incarceration in Illinois, and assuring that our loved ones and neighbors should never be imprisoned or burdened with a felony record because of a health issue.

Like all elements of the war on drugs, we know that prosecutions and convictions for simple possession of drugs other than marijuana fall disproportionately on people and communities of color. Entire neighborhoods in our city and communities all across the State have been devastated by having so many of their community members swallowed up by the justice system.

Even when these individuals finish their sentences, they are limited in the ability to find jobs, get loans and even seek an education.

In short, the war on drugs has been a war on those who are black and brown.

We can do better, Mr. Governor, with your leadership. You embraced cannabis reform, and in your first months in office we made it a reality. Your leadership made it possible not just for Illinois residents to access and use marijuana legally on Jan. 1, but also to make better the lives of those harmed by years of reckless enforcement of pot laws.

Lets take the next step together. Lets start the work, with your leadership, of fixing all of our drug laws by ending felony penalties against people who possess a small amount of any drug. This approach will need the vision of someone who understands that there have been victims of these laws. You showed that vision this month. Lets work together and do more to make our communities whole again.

Im ready for all the work, for all the meetings and for all the negotiations. Because as we both know, that work can yield real results for the lives of thousands. It is worth it. Lets join the fight.

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, was appointed to the Legislature in 2011.

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It is time finally to unwind the war on drugs in Illinois - Chicago Sun-Times