In Illinois, there are several chapters of offenses in the Illinois Compiled Statutes relating to drugs. They are: You can read the full description of the drugs offenses listed under these chapters at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1876&ChapterID=53.
In 1999, the Bureau of Justice Statistics published an thought-provoking study titled Illinois Drug Threat Assessment. You can read it in more detail here: http://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs/652/652p.pdf. One revealing trend identified in the study was the relatively stagnant number (about 40,000) of arrests for violations of the Controlled Substance Act, but the increase in number of arrests for violations of the Cannabis Control Act (5,000 to 40,000) from 1991 to 1999. The Report also breaks down the abuse, availability, related violence, production, transportation and distribution of Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana, Methamphetamine, and other Dangerous Drugs.
At the conclusion of the publication, the authors make some hypothesis that sadly turned out to be accurate. Primarily, that heroine abuse “will continue to increase in the Chicago area” and that a “growing category of young, white suburban heroin users in the Chicago area prefer purity white heroin over Mexican powdered or black tar heroin.” Today, there is a significant heroin problem in the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago, including, but not limited to Naperville.
On the other hand, the article’s demonization of marijuana is misplaced. Today and in the near future, marijuana will likely become a legal drug (like caffeine or alcohol) to be used recreationally in public. For information on current drug statistics check out http://www.bjs.gov/content/dcf/enforce.cfm.