U.S. Government Gives Illinois $12.5 Million to Battle Illegal Drugs

According to the Illinois Governor's Officer, Governor Rod Blagojevich announced on July 17 that the federal government has given the state $12.5 million to help fight illegal drugs.

The federal grant will help the state of Illinois programs to crack down on the manufacturing and distribution of illegal drugs. It will also help bring drug offenders to justice, help addicts, and promote public safety throughout the state.

Of the federal assistance, Governor Blagojevich said, "Illegal drugs destroy lives and endanger communities. One of our most important responsibilities is to protect the public - and illegal drugs pose one of the biggest threats to public safety. These federal grants will help law enforcement and prosecutors keep up the fight against illegal drugs."

All of the federal money will end up going to county, state, and local agencies that provide services and programs within the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program's guidelines. County, state, and local agencies will offer programs in law enforcement, prosecution, crime prevent and education, drug treatment, and more.

"I think the new program is great thing," said Chicago resident Peter Yorke. "Drugs are such a huge problem in Chicago and police can't simply crack down on all of it, especially without money. I know taxes pay for a lot of it, but a federal grant is just great. On top of this, Chicago just announced a gun turn-in program. When it comes to crime, the city and the state are working hard and it's really showing."

Surprisingly, the state of Illinois received exactly $4 million more than last year's federal grant for JAG and its programs.

The JAG programs started back in 2005. The main purpose was to fund statewide undercover operations to fight drug manufacturers and amateur chemists who were creating illegal substances. A lot of the money was and is also used in judicial programs to send criminals to jail.

Last year, the JAG program funded 28 narcotics task forces and prosecution units in a total of 64 Illinois counties.