Sweeping changes coming to Cook County drug prosecutions

On Monday morning, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez will announce reforms to low-level drug offenses, including dismissal of all future misdemeanor marijuana cases, the Chicago Tribune reported.

"If someone is caught with a misdemeanor amount of marijuana, the state's attorney's office will no longer prosecute that case," Alvarez spokeswoman Sally Daly told the Chicago Tribune. This program will be for people with less than three arrests or citations, she said.

The news conference is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Monday at the state's attorney's office. Alvarez also will announce changes to how the office prosecutes small amounts of recreational drugs including Ecstasy, cocaine and heroin, according to the Chicago Tribune.