Cities Across the Country Void Past Marijuana Convictions: Is Yours On The List?
As nationwide marijuana legalization, inches closer each and every day, several cities across the country are taking measures to right the wrongs of the past. Major cities across the United States have announced that they are planning to completely void past marijuana convictions for their citizens, releasing them of the burden of having a felony on their records and allowing them to better compete in the often crowded urban job market. So check out our list below, and see if your hometown is on the list. And if not, have no fear. It looks like whole stated might be clearing convictions soon. So hang tight, and that pesky pot charge might just be going away in the very near future!
Philadelphia, PA
While most of the more lax marijuana laws are being passed out west, the city of Philadelphia has recently announced that it has its own plans to void a number of possession charges. As legal medical marijuana dispensaries begin opening up across the state, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced that his office has dropped more than 50 possession charges, and are planning on looking into others to clear them from the record. “We are going to tell them, yes, drop any cases that are simply marijuana possession,” Krasner said to a Philadelphia NBC News affiliate, speaking about the directive given to other Philly DA’s. Prior to that the Philadelphia police department made the decision four years ago to hand out citations rather than arrest for marijuana offenses, and as a result, more than 90% of marijuana stops resulted in a simple ticket rather than time behind bars. This latest step is yet another step towards completely normalizing marijuana use, and reinvesting officer time to help solve other crimes.
“I did it because I felt it was the right thing to do,” Krasner said. “We could use those resources to solve homicides.”
Seattle, WA
Seattle passed laws back in 2012 to allow anyone over 21 to carry up to an ounce of marijuana on them, but new measures by Mayor Jenny Durkan are now coming into place to wipe the slate clean for almost 600 individuals charged prior to legalization. “I can’t emphasize enough how much a conviction affects a person’s life the moment it happens. Almost every application they fill out will ask, ‘Have you ever been convicted of a crime?’” Mayor Durkan said during a press conference. “While we cannot reverse all the harm that was done, we can give back to those people a record that says they were not convicted.” She went on to say in a seperate op-ed piece that “people’s lives were ruined for misdemeanor marijuana offenses. Too many here in our community faced huge legal bills and fines, or had a harder time getting loans, apartments, and good-paying jobs,” and she hopes that new measures will attempt to make up for the hardships imposed on many of Seattle’s citizens.
The city is also planning to look more past convictions in the future, and anyone convicted of a marijuana-based offense in the past is encouraged to contact a lawyer and make a bid to have their record cleared.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco led the way for clearing the records of marijuana convictions, and was actually the inspiration for the similar measures undertaken in Seattle and San Diego. After making the decision to rid the records of marijuana convictions, San Francisco’s District Attornies have so far identified 7,900 cases that meet the criteria for being eliminated, and many believe that the number might climb to as high as 12,000 in the coming months. And these aren’t just recent convictions either: according to officials in the Golden Gate City, the DA’s office is willing to investigate cases going as far back as 1975, erasing decades worth of marijuana convictions from government files.
San Francisco DA George Gascón has also said that he is not placing the burden on the people to come forward and have their name cleared, but instead says that he plans to have his office actively search the records and clear them on their own. “A lot of people don’t even know they qualify, and I don’t think it’s the right thing to do to make people pay lawyers’ fees and jump through a bunch of hoops to get something they should be getting anyway,” he said.
San Diego, CA
Politicians in southern California are also hoping to follow the lead of their cousins to the north. San Diego interim district attorney Summer Stephan has announced that his office is also going to begin expunging past marijuana convictions from the record, a move which can benefit more than 4,000 residents of the city. “We wanted to be pro-active,” Summerman told reporters. “It’s clear to us that the law was written to allow this relief, and it’s important that we give full effect to the will of the people, especially for those who are most immediately affected.”
Unfortunately, however, San Diego politicians believe that the process will take a considerable amount of time to investigate and clear every conviction filed in the city. “It won’t happen overnight,” chief deputy primary public defender Angie Bartosik said, “but we are committed to seeking relief for everybody who is entitled.”
States considering
Colorado
Colorado is well known for their pro-bud policies, and recently governor John Hickenlooper has said that he is considering releasing nearly 40 inmates currently serving time for marijuana-related offenses. Late last year, Hickenlooper also pardoned 7 other inmates who were convicted of similar offenses and has signaled that he is willing to take more steps to get those charged will marijuana-related felonies out of prison.
“Right now, we have not enough room left in our prisons. So if what these people are serving serious time for wasn’t violent — is no longer illegal — maybe we should be looking at (whether) it safe to release them,” he told reporters for The Denver Post, possibly paving the way for an even wider initiative to push for clemency.
Massachusetts
Another surprising East Coast location pushing to clear the record of marijuana charges, Massachusetts politicians have recently introduced a proposal to wipe the slate clean for a huge amount of individuals and instead focus more effort against drunk driving and those who peddle deadly synthetic opioids. “What we have attempted to do is address the criminal justice every step of the way, from a person’s first contact with the criminal justice system through the courts and right up until the end, after a person has been incarcerated and re-enters society” said Claire Cronin, Chairwoman of the Massachusetts House Judiciary Committee.
Should the bill be passed, House Majority leader Ronald Mariano says that all previous convictions for marijuana offenses ” will go away” and that a process will be put in place to help people previously charged to clear their name and get on with their lives.
California
After approving the ability for local lawmakers to clear prior convictions through Prop 64 back in 2016, politicians in California now say that they are looking into taking things a step further, and automatically eliminating any records of marijuana crimes within the state. According to Oakland Assemblyman Rob Bonta, the new bill would be a crucial step to “give folks who deserve it under the law the fresh start they’re entitled to,” and allow those who have been denied jobs or even housing because of a criminal history to finally find justice.
The proposal, known as AB 1793, hopes to automatically eliminate the prior convictions instead of leaving it to individuals to file suit and clear their name. “Let’s be honest, navigating the legal system bureaucracy can be costly and time-consuming,” Assemblyman Bonta said in the state capital, before explaining that this bill would go a long way for those who may not understand the legal system or be able to afford to hire a lawyer.
Nevada
A new bill in of Nevada is hoping to overturn convictions across the state, and is also taking steps to halt mandatory convictions for those who are arrested for carrying more than an ounce on them. “Mandatory minimum sentencing is more damaging than it is helpful. Nevada voted in November, and our laws must reflect those results,” Assemblyman William McCurdy II said as he introduced Assembly Bill 259 this week to the States Assembly’s Committee on Corrections, Parole and Probation.
In November, Nevade voted to up to one ounce of recreational marijuana and up to one-eighth of an ounce of marijuana concentrate, but for many who were jailed before then it is a case of simply too little too late. “This bill really hits home for me,” said Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson, of Las Vegas. “My cousin was charged years ago with possessing less than an ounce and served 17 years. It was a non-violent crime. He’s doing great now, but I’m very curious how many cases we potentially have that would be vacated.”
And if your state isn’t on the list, have no fear! More and more places across the country seem to be getting more open to the idea of legalization, so it might just be a matter of time before your home, too, decides to clear the records and elimate and past charges that might be tarnishing your good name.