Expungement

The New Leaf Illinois initiative has launched. The effort aims to help people who were arrested for cannabis crimes get their records expunged.

A North Carolina task force has recommended the state decriminalize small amounts of cannabis and expunge cannabis arrest records.

With legalization the big winner in Tuesday night’s election, what other cannabis justice measures prevailed?

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a piece of legislation creating an automatic process for the expungement of criminal activity that would now be legal under the state’s 2018 legalization initiative.

The Michigan Senate has approved legislation that would automatically expunge thousands of criminal records for low-level crimes and even some felonies.

Lawmakers in Virginia’s House and Senate have approved separate cannabis expungement bills; advocates are hoping it’s a sign that an expungement proposal will soon reach the governor’s desk.

Cannabis activists in Oklahoma are collecting signatures to put an expungement and decriminalization question on voters’ ballots this November.

Lawmakers in the Vermont Legislature are set to pass a measure that would automatically expunge cannabis possession convictions in the state.

Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced the clearing of 2,735 low-level cannabis convictions last week.

Nevada’s State Board of Pardons is moving to pardon thousands of people who were convicted of low-level cannabis offenses prior to legalization.

Colorado lawmakers have approved legislation for social equity cannabis licensing and which gives the governor power to expunge low-level cannabis convictions from before the state legalized in 2012.

Michael Thompson was arrested for selling cannabis in 1994; he was given a de-facto life sentence in prison and now COVID-19 is poised to upgrade that to a death sentence unless Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer does the right thing.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) vetoed a bill last week that would have blocked some cannabis convictions from public view.

Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s joined in the 4/20 festivities this year — not as a marketing ploy, but to advocate for responsible and progressive cannabis reforms.

COVID-19 is spreading through the U.S. prison system like wildfire and people who remain locked up on cannabis and nonviolent drug charges are being forced to face their mortality.

Santa Clara County in California is set to expunge or reduce over 11,500 cannabis convictions this week.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has signed a bill into law that includes the decriminalization of cannabis possession and the sealing of light cannabis convictions in the state.

Rhode Island lawmakers have proposed two bills to expunge criminal records related to the possession of cannabis and other controlled substances.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey has filed a motion to expunge some 66,000 cannabis-related convictions, including 62,000 felony convictions and 4,000 misdemeanors.

Utah lawmakers will consider a bill that would allow cannabis patients to expunge low-level cannabis offenses and clarify patient/employee rights when it comes to the state’s new medical cannabis program.

As Illinois became the 11th state to legalize adult-use cannabis this week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker also issued pardons for more than 11,000 cannabis convictions.

Illinois’ adult-use cannabis market launches today, January 1, 2020. It is the first state-legal cannabis market resulting from action by lawmakers, not the voters.

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has outlined a sweeping plan to end cannabis prohibition and address issues including social equity in the future industry and keeping major corporations out of the picture.

As the first piece of federal legislation that would end cannabis prohibition to make it through committee, the MORE Act deserves a closer look; unfortunately, the bill is expected to be dead on arrival if it ever reaches the Senate.