The Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel has called on Illinois legislators to legalize marijuana possession and reduce the punishment for low-level drug offenders caught with small amounts of banned substances.

Under the proposed law, possessing small amounts - at least one gram - of marijuana and other drugs, like crack cocaine and methamphetamine, would be considered a misdemeanor instead of a felony.

In his address to the House-Senate Joint Criminal Committee in Springfield on Tuesday, the Mayor stressed that the reform would enable the police focus on more life-threatening street related crimes rather than minor drug offences. 

"The key issue is we really want comprehensive reform, and we want to reallocate resources we're spending now on nonviolent, low-level offenders, so we can focus on violent crime," he said. 

Reports indicate that Chicago has one of the highest murder rates in the entire country.

The Mayor explained the need for a reform of the state's criminal code saying it is necessary to save tax payers' dollars by reducing the state's overcrowded prison system.

He said possession of small quantities of marijuana should be a ticket offence instead of one that could involve serving time.   

"It doesn't make sense that one arrest for a very small amount of a controlled substance can lead to a lifetime of struggles, sending people in and out of prison and putting up barriers to getting a job or finding a place to live," he explained.

The Mayor's reform speech also touched on racial disparity in the state's prison population. Reports indicate that Africa Americans and Latinos are more likely to get arrested than their Caucasian counterpart in the state.

"Its time to put our sentencing policies in line with our values, reduce penalties for nonviolent, low-level drug offenses so we don't put people in prison who need treatment," he said to the committee which is tasked with improving the state's criminal code.