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Northlake Referendum on Pot Sales

Protect Your Family, Community & Property Values – VOTE NO   

Northlake residents are being given an opportunity to shape their future. The following referendum question appears on the ballot, asking voters:

Shall the City of Northlake allow cannabis businesses to operate within the City of Northlake?

Though Illinois lawmakers failed us, communities can help to reduce the harm legalization brings with it by prohibiting retail businesses from setting up shop.

It’s no secret that with legalization comes an increase in black market crime, traffic fatalities, more addiction and more young people being drawn into a life of drugs.

Marijuana is still a federally controlled Schedule 1 drug.

Schedule 1 (I) drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined by the federal government as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule 1 (I) drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.

  • Voting NO will send the right message to young people in the community about the dangers of this drug. Communities that allow marijuana stores are sending a message that it’s not harmful, thereby lowering the perception of risk which increases use.
  • Voting NO will limit drug traffic in your community. Northlake does NOT want to be a destination point for users seeking to purchase their next stash of drugs.
  • Voting NO will force marijuana business owners to locate elsewhere, out of reach of those who have a greater tendency to become addicted.
  • Voting NO would likely prevent an increase in criminal activity associated with retail marijuana businesses.
  • Voting NO will have a positive impact on your property values.
  • Voting NO would help protect your family and community from a host of unintended consequences. Far from being an innocuous drug that the marijuana lobby portrays as safe and even medicinal, marijuana has serious health risks that should alarm any parent and community. (Learn more at NoWeedIllinois.com)

IFI strongly recommends that you vote NO when you cast your ballot.




Lemont Referendum on Pot Sales

Protect Your Family, Community & Property Values – VOTE NO   

Lemont residents are being given an opportunity to shape their future. The following referendum question appears on the ballot, asking voters:

Shall the Village of Lemont, in Counties of Cook, Will and DuPage, Illinois, allow the operation of a recreational cannabis (marijuana) dispensary within its jurisdiction?

Though Illinois lawmakers failed us, communities can help to reduce the harm legalization brings with it by prohibiting retail businesses from setting up shop.

It’s no secret that with legalization comes an increase in black market crime, traffic fatalities, more addiction and more young people being drawn into a life of drugs.

Marijuana is still a federally controlled Schedule 1 drug.

Schedule 1 (I) drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined by the federal government as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule 1 (I) drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.

  • Voting NO will send the right message to young people in the community about the dangers of this drug. Communities that allow marijuana stores are sending a message that it’s not harmful, thereby lowering the perception of risk which increases use.
  • Voting NO will limit drug traffic in your community. Lemont does NOT want to be a destination point for users seeking to purchase their next stash of drugs.
  • Voting NO will force marijuana business owners to locate elsewhere, out of reach of those who have a greater tendency to become addicted.
  • Voting NO would likely prevent an increase in criminal activity associated with retail marijuana businesses.
  • Voting NO will have a positive impact on your property values.
  • Voting NO would help protect your family and community from a host of unintended consequences. Far from being an innocuous drug that the marijuana lobby portrays as safe and even medicinal, marijuana has serious health risks that should alarm any parent and community. (Learn more at NoWeedIllinois.com)

IFI strongly recommends that you vote NO when you cast your ballot.




Cicero Referendum on Pot Sales

Protect Your Family, Community & Property Values – VOTE NO   

Cicero residents are being given an opportunity to shape their future. The following referendum question appears on the ballot, asking voters:

Should the sale of cannabis and cannabis products for recreational use by adults 21 and older be allowed at licensed dispensaries within the Town of Cicero?

Though Illinois lawmakers failed us, communities can help to reduce the harm legalization brings with it by prohibiting retail businesses from setting up shop.

It’s no secret that with legalization comes an increase in black market crime, traffic fatalities, more addiction and more young people being drawn into a life of drugs.

Marijuana is still a federally controlled Schedule 1 drug.

Schedule 1 (I) drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined by the federal government as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule 1 (I) drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.

  • Voting NO will send the right message to young people in the community about the dangers of this drug. Communities that allow marijuana stores are sending a message that it’s not harmful, thereby lowering the perception of risk which increases use.
  • Voting NO will limit drug traffic in your community. Cicero does NOT want to be a destination point for users seeking to purchase their next stash of drugs.
  • Voting NO will force marijuana business owners to locate elsewhere, out of reach of those who have a greater tendency to become addicted.
  • Voting NO would likely prevent an increase in criminal activity associated with retail marijuana businesses.
  • Voting NO will have a positive impact on your property values.
  • Voting NO would help protect your family and community from a host of unintended consequences. Far from being an innocuous drug that the marijuana lobby portrays as safe and even medicinal, marijuana has serious health risks that should alarm any parent and community. (Learn more at NoWeedIllinois.com)

IFI strongly recommends that you vote NO when you cast your ballot.




Naperville Referendum on Pot Sales

Protect Your Family, Community & Property Values – VOTE NO   

Naperville residents are being given an opportunity to shape their future. The following referendum question appears on the ballot, asking voters:

“Shall the city of Naperville, in light of state legislation legalizing the possession, consumption, and sale of recreational adult use cannabis, allow the sale of recreational adult use cannabis within its jurisdiction?”

Though Illinois lawmakers failed us, communities can help to reduce the harm legalization brings with it by prohibiting retail businesses from setting up shop.

It’s no secret that with legalization comes an increase in black market crime, traffic fatalities, more addiction and more young people being drawn into a life of drugs.

Marijuana is still a federally controlled Schedule 1 drug.

Schedule 1 (I) drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined by the federal government as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule 1 (I) drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.

  • Voting NO will send the right message to young people in the community about the dangers of this drug. Communities that allow marijuana stores are sending a message that it’s not harmful, thereby lowering the perception of risk which increases use.
  • Voting NO will limit drug traffic in your community. Naperville does NOT want to be a destination point for users seeking to purchase their next stash of drugs.
  • Voting NO will force marijuana business owners to locate elsewhere, out of reach of those who have a greater tendency to become addicted.
  • Voting NO would likely prevent an increase in criminal activity associated with retail marijuana businesses.
  • Voting NO will have a positive impact on your property values.
  • Voting NO would help protect your family and community from a host of unintended consequences. Far from being an innocuous drug that the marijuana lobby portrays as safe and even medicinal, marijuana has serious health risks that should alarm any parent and community. (Learn more at NoWeedIllinois.com)

IFI strongly recommends that you vote NO when you cast your ballot.




Contact Your Officials in Evanston




Being a Voice for the Unborn




Will The City of Effingham Consider a Ban on Marijuana Retail Sales?

Written by Julia Reinthaler and David E. Smith

Elected officials in the City of Effingham are considering zoning ordinances and guidelines for marijuana sales within city limits. It is imperative that local officials hear from pro-family residents, especially the clergy! They need to hear your concerns about the consequences of marijuana sales in the area. They need to be urged to prohibit sales in the community.

The next regular City Council Meeting will be held at the Effingham City Council Chambers on January 21st at 5 PM.

Don’t let proponents deceive you with their “tax revenues” talking points. According to a report published by the Centennial Institute, “for every dollar gained in tax revenue, Coloradans spend approximately $4.50 to mitigate the effects of legalization.” The costs of legal pot are not worth the costs to families, communities and lives.

Although the licensed growth, sale, possession and use of marijuana will be legal in Illinois effective January 1, 2020, the legislation signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker allows villages, cities and counties to opt out of marijuana retail sales. This gives communities the opportunity to say “no” to drug traffic and the retail presence of a federally classified Schedule 1 Drug, a dangerous intoxicant that the DEA deems has “a high potential for abuse.”

Far from being an innocuous drug that the marijuana lobby portrays as safe and even medicinal, marijuana has serious health risks that should alarm any parent and community.

According to a 2017 review from the National Academy of Medicine, cannabis use is likely to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychoses, and among regular users it is likely to increase the risk for developing social anxiety disorder.

According to a 2018 paper published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, people who used cannabis were almost three times as likely to use opiates three years later.

Another study, released in Australia, cited that patients with chronic pain who used cannabis experienced even greater pain over time, dispelling the myth that pot relieves pain better than other available pain medicines.

To understand the effects that marijuana legalization will ultimately have in Illinois, we need look no further than Colorado to see a cautionary tale of the unintended consequences of legalization.

In the six years since marijuana was legalized in Colorado, the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes who tested positive for marijuana has doubled. There have been increased rates in marijuana-related emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and higher rates of violent crime. Though legal for 21 and older, more than a fourth of Colorado’s middle and high school students use pot more than once daily. Chronic use by those under 25 can lead to a permanent loss of up to 8 IQ points.

Knowing what we know about the tragic and often irreversible effects of marijuana, we cannot in good conscience permit a retailer to peddle a drug that robs so many youth of their future and compromises the safety of our citizenry. Instead of making Big Marijuana richer and the City of Effingham a haven for those selling the drug and those seeking to purchase it, let’s make it a refuge for families seeking to shield their loved ones from this drug’s destructive path.

Next month’s meeting might lead to a vote that will shape the future of the City of Effingham.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email to Mayor Mike Schutzbach and all four City Council members asking them to reduce drug traffic and protect the families they represent by passing a ban on the retail sales of marijuana. And if you’re able, please attend the January 21st meeting to make your opposition known.

Learn more about marijuana’s consequences at NoWeedIllinois.com.

See the U.S. Surgeon General’s Press Advisory about the health risks of marijuana use.



A bold voice for pro-family values in Illinois!

Click HERE to learn about supporting IFI on a monthly basis.




SAVE your (grand)KIDS

We have entered a new year where last year’s approved legislation takes effect, including the recreational sale and commercialization of marijuana. David E. Smith, the executive director of IFI warns of the consequences and how Illinois residents should act.




Welcome 2020!




Support the Bold Work of Illinois Family Institute

The theme for Illinois Family Institute’s recent fall banquet was boldness, and our theme verse highlights that quality: “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).

Boldness is exemplified by courage, confident strength, resolute purpose, and wisdom that expresses itself with measured words and actions.

For decades, Christian conservatives have tried the kinder, gentler approach with our adversaries. We’ve desperately tried to find common ground wherever and whenever we could. Yet time after time, especially in Springfield, that approach has failed.

Regressive politicians, activists, and many in the media don’t respect us, and they certainly don’t fear us. In fact, they often exploit our most cherished values, pervert them, and then throw them back in our face. And why are they able to do this? Because we have replaced boldness with cowardice and, as a result, they are emboldened to bully us, taking advantage of our good will.

We must understand that politics has become weaponized against us. The apostles of the world are relentless in the pursuit of their wicked goals. They are not above lying, cheating, defaming, and resorting to payoffs. Rhetorical, social, and political malfeasance is, in their view, a justifiable means to their destructive ends—especially when they know full well we will not reciprocate in kind.

Assuredly we will not sink to their level. We will not lie, cheat, or slander in our pursuit of good. But, we can and should abandon our posture of timidity and become more assertive—bolder—in exposing the disastrous consequences of their perverted policy proposals.

We must understand this is not merely an ideological fight between the right and the left or between conservatives and Leftists. This is a war between good and evil that has existed since the beginning of time. As Christians, we must gird ourselves as for battle. We must be prepared and willing to boldly engage in the public square.

Our opponents have three powerful allies on their side: academia, media, and the entertainment industry. They control the culture-shaping megaphones that relentlessly blare their body and soul-destroying messages into the hearts and minds of Americans, specifically targeting our impressionable children.

We cannot compete against this evil with fearful, self-serving silence. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul exhorts the recipients, and us, “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” Similarly, the Psalmist reminds us, “be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Now is the time to toughen up and stop playing it safe; we must speak and act boldly, knowing that our mighty God stands with us!

Earlier this year we told you how regressive legislators and anti-life groups in Springfield have tried to intimidate IFI into silence regarding Illinois’ radical abortion expansion bill—legislation that we likened to the Jewish Holocaust. Their official joint resolution (HJR 55) is still pending a vote. It calls for our right to lobby at the Capitol to be revoked and for the Illinois State Police to investigate us for “hate speech.”

We will not be intimidated by these oppressive schemes.

Christians cannot surrender the public square to those who celebrate the extermination of more than 60+ million pre-born babies—human beings—whom liberals have deemed “unworthy of life.” Rather, we must boldly fight for what we believe, refusing to cower in fear or abandon the truth.

Another example came a couple of weeks after our annual banquet, when the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) attacked Rev. Franklin Graham for keynoting our event, claiming that we have a “history of anti-LGBTQ stances” that are “perhaps even more extreme than” Rev. Graham’s stance.

What the anti-Christian SPLC fails to understand is that our stance on sexual morality is the historical stance that has been held by orthodox Christians for more than two thousand years.

In an article posted on the IFI website, Laurie Higgins rightly points out:

“The Illinois Family Institute does not hate people. … We believe genuine love—as opposed to what passes for love today—entails seeking for others that which is true and good. Genuine love as demonstrated by Christ does not entail affirming all the feelings, beliefs, and volitional acts of others. Genuine love entails concern for both temporal and eternal lives.”

She continued:

We believe the assumptions espoused by both the homosexual and “trans” communities are harming individuals—especially children—and society. Schools are inculcating children with arguable assumptions that are presented as objective facts. The medical community is chemically sterilizing and surgically mutilating children. If these ideologies are false, then opposing them is the antithesis of hatred.

Believing an assumption is wrong, or believing a volitional sexual act is … immoral does not constitute hatred of persons who believe differently and act in accordance with their beliefs. Perhaps SPLC hatewatchers hate everyone who holds different beliefs and moral precepts than they do, but they ought not impute their habits of mind to others.

We at IFI, like many other people, are fully capable of loving those who believe differently and act in accordance with their beliefs—even false and destructive beliefs. And we will express our beliefs with the boldness and clarity that the sanctimonious deceivers at the SPLC express theirs.

In our effort to more effectively pursue good legislation and derail bad proposals, IFI would like to move from utilizing a part-time contract lobbyist to employing a full-time legislative director who will boldly stand as our ambassador for Christ and His Kingdom. But we need your prayers and financial support to make this goal a reality.

Love for our family and our neighbor motivates us. This is why IFI Team members work so hard to counter the lies of the secular culture. The lies of the left must be unmasked, and Christians in Illinois must be equipped to defend pro-life, pro-family truth in the public square. Together we can expose the deception of the sexual revolution, embolden pro-life advocacy, uphold parental rights (including school choice), and respect the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution.

It is vital that we expand our efforts to inform and equip the Christian community in Illinois with email alerts, video reports, podcasts, pastors’ breakfasts, special forums, worldview conferences, and cultural commentaries.

To realize this goal, we will need to significantly increase our marketing budget in order to maximize our presence on social media platforms and conservative and Christian radio stations.

This is where you can help us. We need these financial resources more now than ever to help us accomplish our mission to “boldly bring a biblical perspective to the public square” in Illinois. It is vital that we expand our pro-family efforts and push back against the destructive plans of the SPLC, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and all their regressive allies.

Please, help us reach our matching challenge goal of $70,000 by midnight tonight.  We are just about $5,000 short of this goal, and we believe that we can reach or even surpass that goal in the remaining hours we have today. You are vital to making this mission – and cultural impact – possible.

If we truly believe God’s gifts to mankind of self-government, religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and the right to freely advocate for morality are worth fighting for, then we must act boldly to preserve these gifts!

I hope you will answer the call to faithfully proclaim truth and refute the distorted and destructive messages of our opponents and their sycophant mouthpieces. There’s no time to wait the deadline is midnight TONIGHT.

Your donation to IFI will enable us to implement our ministry goals and reach out to every county and legislative district in Illinois. We must further fortify those areas that support pro-life and pro-family legislation, as well as fight to breach the strongholds that threaten to annihilate any trace of morals, decency, and common sense in our state.

We are grateful for your generous support throughout 2019 and are excited to see what God will do through our partnership with you, for the benefit of all the citizens of Illinois and the Glory of His Name!

P.S. Please help us uphold, preserve and promote God’s plan for natural marriage and family, the sanctity of human life and religious freedom by investing in the work of Illinois Family Institute by helping us reach our matching challenge goal.




Our Challenge by Midnight, December 31st!

Dear Friends,

We’re almost there! Many of you have given sacrificially, and these donations have been doubled through the generosity of an amazing matching challenge that will double all our donations in December up to $70,000. I can’t tell you how grateful we are to know that you are willing to stand with us. Thank you!

We are closing in on our goal, but we are not there yet. We need your help if we hope to reach our goal.

With approximately 36 hours remaining in the year, we still need to raise a little more than $13,000!

If you haven’t made your tax-deductible, end-of-year donation to the only full-time, pro-family group in Illinois, there’s still time! No gift is too small!

These last days of the year are extremely important for Illinois Family Institute as our budget depends on receiving a significant portion of our support by December 31.

I am so thankful that several of our generous supporters are pledging a $70,000 Matching Challenge to ensure we finish 2019 strong with the resources needed for a big 2020.

We need YOU to help us take full advantage of this challenge so that every gift is DOUBLED!

Please donate online or call (708) 781-9328.

Dollar-for-dollar match through December 31st.

Your $25 becomes $50, $100 becomes $200, and $250 becomes $500.

Thank you for your consideration. Your financial support and your prayers are what makes our mission to protect and preserve life, marriage, family and liberty in Illinois possible.  THANK YOU FOR STANDING WITH US!

Sincerely,

David E. Smith
Executive Director

P.S. Donations must be postmarked by December 31 in order to qualify as 2019 gifts. Now, more than ever, your gift will help us uphold the legacy left by our forefathers.

Don’t delay, please donate today!




Merry Christmas!




Merry Christmas!




End-of-Year Matching Challenge Update

I wanted to share some good news with you about the $70,000 matching challenge we wrote about earlier this month. The response to this challenge have been positive, and we are making good progress toward our goal of raising a total of $140,000 before the end of the year.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters – moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas of Illinois – we have raised more than 66 percent of our goal thus far.

We still need to raise approximately $26,000 over the next seven days in order to realize the full matching challenge.

Any donation given or mailed by December 31st will go toward this matching challenge.

In 2020, we will have tremendous opportunities to expose and challenge the radical anti-family agenda of left-wing regressive lawmakers in Springfield and Washington D.C. This is not merely a political fight between the right and the left or between Republicans and Democrats. This is the cosmic conflict between good and evil that has existed since the beginning of time. As Christians, we must gird ourselves as for battle. We must be prepared and willing to engage boldly in the public square.

Our opponents have three powerful allies on their side: academia, media, and the entertainment industry. They control the culture-shaping megaphones that relentlessly blare their body- and soul-destroying messages into the hearts and minds of Americans, specifically targeting our impressionable children.

We cannot compete against this evil with fearful, self-serving silence. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul exhorts the recipients, and us, to “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” Similarly, the Psalmist reminds us, to “be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Now is the time to toughen up and stop playing it safe; we must speak and act boldly, knowing that our mighty God stands with us!

I could cite many egregious examples of our enemy’s tactics, but let me reference just one. Regressive legislators and anti-life groups have tried to intimidate IFI into silence regarding Illinois’ radical abortion expansion bill – legislation that we, like many others, likened to the Jewish Holocaust. But we refuse to be silent. Christians cannot surrender the public square to those who celebrate the legal extermination of more than 60 million pre-born babies – human beings – whom liberals have deemed “unworthy of life.” Rather, we must boldly fight for what we believe, refusing to cower in fear or abandon the truth. (Read more HERE.)

We need your prayer covering and financial support!

If you haven’t already, please consider IFI in your year-end giving. Every donation – small, medium or large – brings us closer to our goal.  Don’t miss this opportunity to stand with the only full-time pro-family organization in Illinois!

Click HERE to make a secure online contribution today.

Here are some ways you can give your tax-deductible donation:

  • Contribute online HERE.
  • Give a gift of stock or appreciated assets. Contact Colleen Garcia, IFI’s Financial Administrator, at (708) 781-9328 or email her HERE.
  • Mail your year-end gift. Send to: Illinois Family Institute, P.O. Box 876, Tinley Park, IL, 60477
  • We also accept credit card donations over the phone at (708) 781-9328.

Thank you for your consideration. Your financial support and your prayers are what makes our mission to protect and preserve life, marriage, family and liberty in Illinois possible.  THANK YOU FOR STANDING WITH US!

Sincerely,

David E. Smith
Executive Director

P.S. Donations must be postmarked by December 31 in order to qualify as 2019 gifts. Now, more than ever, your gift will help us uphold the legacy left by our forefathers.

Don’t delay, please donate today!




The Prince of Peace!