With marijuana legalized in Illinois Jan. 1, Racine County sheriff warns: 'We're going to arrest you for it'

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling

MUNDELEIN, Ill. -- Recreational marijuana becomes legal in Illinois starting Jan. 1, 2020, and while Wisconsin residents can purchase it in Illinois, it cannot be brought back into the state -- and law enforcement officials near the border said they're ready.

"If you're going to bring that here into our state, specifically into Racine County and we find it, we're going to arrest you for it," said Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling.

In Illinois on New Year's Eve, officials at pot shops prepared for crowds on New Year's Day looking to buy legal marijuana flowers, gummies, lotions, and more.

Rise Mundelein

Brendan Blume

"There's a vast variety of products," said Brendan Blume, VP of store development at Rise Mundelein.

Officials at the store, located 20 miles south of the Illinois-Wisconsin border, said they're expecting some of their customers to be from Wisconsin.

"We're coming out of what we call prohibition," said Blume. "When you walk inside, there is a security checkpoint. Show your ID and make sure you're 21. Once you get through the main security checkpoint, then you're in a retail environment."

You can only buy small quantities at a time, and again, the products cannot be taken into Wisconsin or consumed in the Badger State.

"We've trained some additional drug recognition experts, but aside from that, it's really business as usual, although we expect to see more business," said Chief David Zilbolski, Beloit Police Department.

Managers at Rise Mundelein were busy setting up heat lamps on New Year's Eve -- expecting lines out the door come Jan. 1.