CHARLESTON, Ill. (WCIA) — Eastern Illinois University’s Academy of Lifelong Learning hosted an interdisciplinary cannabis discussion on Monday.

The symposium went over the current state and future expectations of cannabis in Illinois. The community was invited to attend the meeting and ask questions. One of the main topics was the history of drug laws and locking people up for cannabis use.

Assistant Professor Dr. Mari Kita was one of the panelists.

“I study the families of prisoners and offenders. So, you know, from that perspective, it’s been a such a long time that we started to notice the negative consequences of these very punitive drug laws against families,” she said. “And to me, it just feels like it’s about time that we do something about it.”

Kita said she wants to see things change at the federal level.

“I am for legalizing marijuana, simply because there are just so many negative repercussions of putting people away in prison and throwing away the key,” she said.