Illinois State Senator Neil Anderson recently announced that he will be introducing legislation in Springfield to abolish abortion in the state of Illinois.

In this episode, IFI’s David Smith, Jenna Smith, and Alyssa Sonnenburg discuss this legislation and unpack the reality of the abortion practice in Illinois.

Did you know that in the state of Illinois,

• abortion businesses do not need to undergo inspections,
• when a woman dies during an abortion, the coroner is not required to be notified,
• a medical professional cannot be disciplined for performing an abortion on a non-pregnant woman, and
• medical professionals with a revoked medical license from another state will be allowed to perform abortions in Illinois.

In a recent episode of The Matt Walsh Show, the host lays it out plainly: Hunter Biden proved just how easy it is to launder money in America. You don’t have to be clever — just land a no-show job, create a few shell companies with foreign investors, or sell “art” for millions to anonymous buyers.

That’s why questions are swirling around Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s “lucky streak” in Las Vegas.… Continue Reading

“Let’s not kid ourselves. Pennsylvanians who want to buy adult-use cannabis are just driving across the border to one of our five neighboring states where it’s legal. Up to 60% of the customers at those stores just over the border are Pennsylvanians, and we’re losing out on an industry that will bring in $1.3 billion in new revenue to our Commonwealth. Let’s work together — Republicans and Democrats alike — and legalize adult-use cannabis.”… Continue Reading

Illinois is currently trying to legalize assisted suicide through the passage of the End of Life Options Act.

This Act, if passed, would give doctors the legal ability to prescribe death-inducing drugs to patients who have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses.

In this episode, Dr. Kevin Garner sits down with Monte Larrick to discuss the dangers this Act pose– not only to the terminally ill but the possible expansion of the bill to include non-terminal conditions and children.… Continue Reading

In this fun episode, Spotlight highlights remarks from multiple different podcasts and events over the years including Dr. Karl Benzio, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, and more!

Dr. Benzio struggled with anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse, gambling, and spent time in jail for aggravated assault. Yet God intervened in his heart and completely transformed his life.

Now, Dr. Benzio is a board-certified psychiatrist. He is the co-founder and medical director of HoneyLake Clinic, which provides Christ-centered mental health treatment programs in a supportive, healing environment.… Continue Reading

Governor J.B. Pritzker is pledging to “Trump proof” Illinois through keeping Illinois open to transgender surgeries and drugs for minors, which is one of the issues that took center stage during the Presidential campaign.

In this episode of Spotlight, Monte Larrick sits down with Thomas Hampson to discuss Governor Pritzker’s plan and the harmful effects it will have on children.

Thomas Hampson is a contributing writer for IFI serving as an intelligence analyst, U.S.… Continue Reading

In this week’s episode of Spotlight podcast, Dr. Benjamin German discusses physician-assisted suicide from his perspective as a medical-care provider.

Dr. German is a primary caregiver in the Lawndale Christian Health Center and serves as an Illinois Representative in the Academy of Medical Ethics, which is the biomedical arm of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations.

Dr. German’s speech will discuss how medically-assisted suicide works and the ethics surrounding medically-assisted suicide.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Spotlight, Monte Larrick sits down with IFI Springfield Lobbyist, David Curtin, in order to get his perspective on the upcoming Illinois legislative sessions.

A bill that has a lot of conservatives in Illinois concerned is SB 3499 (Physician-Assisted Suicide). David Curtin comments,

The assisted suicide legislation is a very coordinated national effort and they’ve already done it in a few other blue states, and Illinois is the next state they usually stop at to try to pass something like this… [Physician Assisted Suicide] would allow physicians to dispense some pills to a person who is diagnose with a terminal illness to kill themselves at home.

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features Dr. Karl Benzio, a Christian Psychiatrist who serves with the AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors). He is s the co-founder of Honey Lake Clinic, a board certified Christian mental health treatment facility located in Greenville, Florida.

In this interview, Dr. Benzio focuses on how God designed the mind to work and how we can properly steward our mind in our decision-making process.

This is an amazing interview you don’t want to miss.… Continue Reading

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is back in front of his liberal friends in the news media to complain about the immigration crisis, which is trickling up to the Midwest.

As you may remember, Pritzker sent an open letter to President Joe Biden three months ago begging for federal tax resources to deal with the so-called “asylum seekers” being bussed to Illinois from Texas. Not once in this three-page appeal did he ask the administration to shut down the border or reinstate the quasi-successful “Remain in Mexico” policy of the Trump Administration.… Continue Reading

Late last month, state lawmakers in North Carolina held a hearing to discuss a proposal to legalize so-called “medical” marijuana. SB 3—NC Compassionate Care Act. During the hearing, Corinne LaMarca testified against the bill, sharing the story of her daughter, Jennifer. She shared that Jennifer was an excellent student and a talented athlete. She studied Intelligence and Analysis Research in college and wanted to use this degree to fight illicit drugs.… Continue Reading

The failure to stop the 9/11 terrorist plot was blamed in large part on a failure to connect the intelligence dots.

Now a similar failure is preventing the country from recognizing what is behind the massive increase in mass shootings: the increasing legalization and potency of marijuana.

The connection should be obvious. A new study backed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that 30% of schizophrenia cases in men aged 21 to 30 are linked to cannabis addiction.… Continue Reading

Unless you were at the Capitol on January 6, federal prosecutors don’t target you for prison for simply possessing marijuana. In fact, in this era of marijuana as the national pastime, you won’t find anyone originally targeted by prosecutors for nothing more than simple possession serving time in prison. So, when Biden makes a grand announcement that he is pardoning all those convicted of simple possession, you know there is more to it than meets the eye.… Continue Reading

What they apparently aren’t taking into consideration is the rise in suicides, and drug and alcohol use due to the lockdown policies and an increase in unemployment, business closures and domestic violence. Marijuana is not the answer.… Continue Reading

In this week’s Spotlight, Pastor Calvin Lindstrom sits down with Dave Smith and Monte Larrick to discuss the distorted message and disastrous impact of the growing weed wave that is flooding the nation and the incestuous relationship between our elected officials (and their family members) and Big Marijuana. They also offer information about the “opt-out” option for counties and detail how you can encourage your local officials to opt-out of retail marijuana establishments in your area.… Continue Reading

So, when the U.S. Supreme Court numbered abortion among our precious constitutional rights, we expected everlasting bliss? Anything but the present knock-down-drag-out over Roe v. Wade and its prospects for survival?

I mean, we’re stunned to see state legislatures moving to outlaw abortion? Why? On what grounds? America is presently absorbing a major political science lesson. To wit, a social revolution commenced and overseen by a coterie of philosopher kings — Platonic guardians, you could say — is a non-starter.… Continue Reading

This week’s Spotlight features Jeanne Ives as she presents facts and figures that underscore the stark reality Democrats in the Land of Lincoln are unwilling to face. As a former Illinois state representative and recent gubernatorial candidate, Ms. Ives is supremely qualified to speak to the myriad of problems that plague our state.

Rather than relying on anticipated (i.e., overly optimistic and ultimately insufficient) tax revenue from legal recreational marijuana to solve Illinois’ economic crisis, pension mismanagement, and outmigration woes, Ms.… Continue Reading

Joining Monte Larrick for this week’s Spotlight podcast are Dr. Karen Randall and Jo McGuire, both Colorado residents and marijuana experts in their respective fields. Sixty Illinois legislators, Republicans and Democrats, have issued a resolution calling for a slowdown regarding legalization and commercialization of high-potency marijuana – and our guests say a slowdown is well-warranted.

Dr. Randall and Ms. McGuire can attest that the overall cost to health, safety, law enforcement, and social service entities in their state far outweighs the miniscule “profit” generated through marijuana tax revenue.… Continue Reading

A recent forum on marijuana, hosted by IFI, is the source of this week’s Spotlight podcast. Many factors contribute to the growing problem of homelessness in America and according to Pastor Phil Kwiatkowski, president of Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, the most common factor is drug use and addiction.  With this reality in mind, how could anyone, especially in Chicago (ranked in the top 10 U.S. cities for homelessness), think that legalizing recreational marijuana is a good idea?… Continue Reading

In this week’s Spotlight podcast – maybe we should call it a potcast – Dr. Karen Randall returns to share her knowledge and experience with legal, high-potency marijuana, not only in her role as an ER physician, but also as a tax-paying resident of Colorado.

Dr. Randall explains the difference between the major compounds, THC and CBD, found in the marijuana plant and addresses how genetic modification affects compound levels. Monte, Dave, and Dr.… Continue Reading

Jo McGuire once again joins Monte Larrick and David Smith for a conversation on the extensive topic of commercial marijuana and the ongoing ramifications of legalized pot in Colorado. Ms. McGuire is the chairman of the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association, NDASA.com.

The podcast opens with a discussion of an issue that is often overlooked – how might legalized access to marijuana affect, even pose a threat to, safe and drug-free work environments?… Continue Reading

This week we turn our Spotlight on Angela Camp, a drug addiction specialist with Bradford Health Services in Birmingham, Alabama. During an Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems conference in Springfield, Ms. Camp met with Monte Larrick to discuss the escalating heroin epidemic in the United States and its connection to opioid and marijuana use and addiction.

Ms. Camp explains how availability, affordability, and changes in public perception have contributed to the increase in drug abuse in middle-class America.… Continue Reading

In light of Governor JB Pritzker’s avowed priority to legalize “recreational” marijuana in Illinois, this week’s Spotlight podcast is definitely worth listening to as well as sharing with family and friends – especially anyone who might be on the fence about the subject of legalization.

As a long-time Emergency Room physician (with a certificate in Cannabis Science and Medicine from the University of Vermont), Dr. Karen Randall brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table as she describes to Monte Larrick and David Smith the devastation legal access to high-potency marijuana has brought to her community of Pueblo, Colorado.… Continue Reading

Happy New Year and welcome to the first Spotlight podcast of 2019! For this edition of Spotlight we are revisiting highlights of an earlier episode featuring IFI’s own Monte Larrick and J.D. Mesnard, Regional Director with Alliance Defending Freedom’s Church Alliance. This interview took place in May 2018 at IFI’s fourth annual Worldview Conference. Mesnard begins the podcast by detailing the range of vital legal assistance the ADF Church Alliance provides to churches.… Continue Reading

Addictions to help mitigate decades of irresponsible political spending? It’s preposterous, but that is out-going left-wing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s prescription to reduce (not solve) the nagging pension crisis.

Emanuel and others like him think that hooking Illinois citizens into vices like marijuana and casino gambling is a legitimate way to realize new revenue sources. Of course, ill-gotten gains from dope and gambling are inadequate in-and-of-themselves and require spendthrift politicians to increase our gasoline tax by 20-30 cent per gallon to feed their insatiable spending habits.… Continue Reading

This week’s Spotlight podcast focuses on the deception and devastation surrounding legalization of recreational marijuana. Joining Monte Larrick is Dr. Karen Randall, an emergency room physician from Pueblo, CO. Dr. Randall trained in the areas of emergency medicine, pediatrics and family practice. She holds a certificate in Cannabis Science and Medicine from the University of Vermont, serves on the Board of Directors and is Vice President of Case Management for Southern Colorado Emergency Medical Associates, and speaks nationally and internationally on the dangers of marijuana.… Continue Reading

If you listen to only one Spotlight podcast this year, please listen to this one!

Monte Larrick and I are joined by Jo McGuire, Colorado native and Chairman of the Board of the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association, for an eye-opening discussion of the devastation that five years of legalized marijuana has brought to the state of Colorado. In the 2018 lame duck Veto Session in Springfield (November 13-15 and 27-29), Illinois state lawmakers could vote to fully legalize marijuana in Illinois.… Continue Reading

It’s a lot easier to treat doctors like drug traffickers and push pain patients into suicide than it is go after sanctuary cities and the drug cartels that are responsible for the entirety of the drug (not “opioid”) crisis. Nowhere is this more evident than in Minneapolis.

In April, the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote a story on “how Mexican drug cartels turned Minneapolis into a meth hub.” They report, as we observed a few months ago, that distribution of meth, which is not an opioid, is surging to all-time highs in this country.… Continue Reading

David Smith and Monte Larrick recently sat down with Jo McGuire while she was visiting Illinois. She warned about the many consequences of legalizing recreational marijuana. Jo comes from Colorado, where they have had recreational marijuana since 2013.

Jo McGuire serves on the board of directors for the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association and co-chairs the Marijuana Education Committee. She is also a DATIA Certified Professional Collector and Trainer (CPCT) and a Certified Designated Employee Representative Trainer (CDERT) who consults and trains professionals overseeing Safety Sensitive Employees in the compliance of federal DOT guidelines for drug and alcohol screening programs.… Continue Reading

During the Illinois Primary, I wrote about the people behind the Marijuana Legalization Campaign:

Democrats Dan Biss and JB Pritzker want Illinois more than one toke over the line, and Chris Kennedy and Bruce Rauner want others to tell us if it is safe and fun.

Like the lottery and casino gambling, recreational pot will also free Illinois from want, debt and care.  Dope will make our kids smarter and turn selfish people into Jimmy Kimmel.

Dave Smith and Monte Larrick recently interviewed Jo McGuire while she was visiting Illinois warning residents about the many consequences of legalizing recreational marijuana. Jo comes from Colorado, where they have had recreational marijuana since 2013.

Jo McGuire serves on the board of directors for the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association and co-chairs the Marijuana Education Committee. She is also a DATIA Certified Professional Collector and Trainer (CPCT) and a Certified Designated Employee Representative Trainer (CDERT) who consults and trains professionals overseeing Safety Sensitive Employees in the compliance of federal DOT guidelines for drug and alcohol screening programs.… Continue Reading

Polls–you know ‘scientifically conducted’ data collection, organization and dissemination that agrees most heartily with the conclusions crafted prior to research collected, organized and disseminated–have given Illinois its lofty position on what has been designated the “Right Side of History.”

The same such research sent people to the ovens in the last century and slaughtered millions of unborn American humans since 1973.

Illinois, the biggest laughing stock real estate on the continent, is usually on the “Right Side of History,” but people and businesses move away or avoid Illinois altogether.… Continue Reading

This week’s Spotlight features the conversation of IFA’s David E. Smith and Stephanie Trussell, that was originally broadcast this past Saturday in the opening hour of The Stephanie Trussell Show on 890 AM in Chicago.

Stephanie questions him about the recreational marijuana question on the ballot in Cook County.

At the very start of the show, host Trussell spoke about “the significance of a sitting president speaking at the March for Life.”… Continue Reading

In this week’s edition of Illinois Family Spotlight, Monte Larrick and Dave Smith sit down to talk with Bishop Lance Davis about the push to legalize recreational marijuana.  Bishop Davis is the senior pastor of New Zion Covenant Church in Dolton, Illinois and chairman of the African American Clergy Coalition.

Background
Last year, Illinois State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) introduced legislation to legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois (HB 2353) and began holding public hearings on the issue to build support and excitement for this insidious policy. … Continue Reading

In a high tax state that’s bankrupt and losing residents and jobs, one might think that our government officials would have better things to do than legalizing marijuana for recreational use. And one would be wrong. Especially when taxing marijuana is seen as yet another source of revenue for their almost bankrupt tax coffers.

The Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems (ICAAAP) issued an alert this week bringing attention to the fact that there will be an advisory referendum on the Cook County Ballot calling on the state to legalize marijuana.… Continue Reading

We are pleased to feature Jo McGuire in this week’s Spotlight podcast. She serves on the board of directors for the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association and co-chairs the Marijuana Education Committee. Jo is also a DATIA Certified Professional Collector and Trainer (CPCT) and a Certified Designated Employee Representative Trainer (CDERT) who consults and trains professionals overseeing Safety Sensitive Employees in the compliance of federal DOT guidelines for drug and alcohol screening programs.… Continue Reading

Written by Benjamin Smith

Last week, State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) introduced legislation to legalize recreational marijuana for anyone 21 years-old or older.  These bills (HB 2353 and SB 316) would not only legalize the sale and use of marijuana (possession limit of 28 grams which makes about 60 joints), but also allows people to grow marijuana in their homes or on property they own.  

That is why this week’s podcast is so very important.  … Continue Reading

On this week’s podcast:  Ed Ronkowski once again joins Monte Larrick and Dave Smith to shed some light on pressing questions about marijuana and its legal status. Mr. Ronkowski dispels the common misunderstanding that marijuana crowds prisons, and the panel discusses the idea marijuana is “not that bad,” whether medicinal marijuana is an acceptable medical option, and how Illinois is currently facing the marijuana question.

Written by Robert Knight

The Rocky Mountain State is known for its purple mountain majesties, as immortalized in “America the Beautiful.”

But If Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote the nation’s unofficial anthem in 1913, were penning her lyrics near Pike’s Peak today, she might be humming “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix.

Colorado is purple all over, from legalizing recreational use of marijuana in 2012 to its role as a crucial swing state.

From the hippie districts of Denver and Boulder to the Christian conclaves in Colorado Springs, there’s something for every persuasion.… Continue Reading

Posted by Parents Opposed to Pot

During the Democratic debate on October 13, Bernie Sanders had a misunderstanding of the facts when he suggested people go to prison for smoking a joint. A few days later, Dan Riffle, a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project, admitted on Twitter that it doesn’t happen. However, for the last five years, the marijuana advocates have aggressively promoted the misconception that people are arrested and go to prison for pot possession alone.… Continue Reading