Massachusetts becomes first state to blanket pardon low-level marijuana charges April 4, 2024 AggregatedNews Massachusetts 0 Comments Massachusetts is now the first state to pardon the crimes of offenders charged with simple pot possession — after President Joe Biden did the same two years ago. Gov. Maura Healey’s first-in-the-nation plan to issue a blanket pardon for simple marijuana possession… Read More→
Will Texas Reduce Marijuana Penalties? May 11, 2023 AggregatedNews Texas 0 Comments When Austin voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in 2022 that eliminated local enforcement of low-level marijuana offenses, they couldn't have foreseen the recent partnership between the police and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Although a city spokesperson said that both agencies won't arrest… Read More→
They were convicted for marijuana. Now they’re first in line to sell it legally in New Jersey February 17, 2023 AggregatedNews New Jersey 0 Comments Tahir Johnson has been arrested for marijuana possession three times. Now, for the first time in his life, the convictions won’t hurt his employment prospects. They’ll help. Johnson, 39, will be one of the first people with a marijuana-related conviction… Read More→
Marijuana Pardons Affect Just a Sliver of Those Swept Up in the War on Drugs November 28, 2022 AggregatedNews Federal 0 Comments Valerie Schultz’s conviction for possession of a small amount of marijuana in 2010 was anything but simple. Ms. Schultz was arrested on federal land, the Mount Olympus Trail in Utah, which means she was charged under federal law. The authorities… Read More→
Oregon’s governor pardons thousands for cannabis convictions November 22, 2022 AggregatedNews Oregon 0 Comments Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Monday she is pardoning an estimated 45,000 people convicted of simple possession of cannabis, a month after President Joe Biden did the same under federal law. “No one deserves to be forever saddled with the impacts of… Read More→
Sentenced to 40 years, Biden’s marijuana pardons left him behind October 24, 2022 AggregatedNews Federal 0 Comments Edwin Rubis heard about President Biden’s announcement of mass marijuana pardons earlier this month and realized he would be left out. Rubis — who has spent more than two decades in federal prison for his involvement in a cannabis distribution conspiracy —… Read More→
What Does Biden’s Marijuana Pardon Mean for Deportations? October 21, 2022 AggregatedNews Federal 0 Comments With the Biden administration’s recent announcement that it was issuing widespread pardons for people convicted of federal marijuana possession, progressives and criminal justice advocates rejoiced that the president had finally reversed course on a stance preserved in amber since the 1990s on… Read More→
Harris: ‘Nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed’ October 11, 2022 AggregatedNews Federal 1 Comment Vice President Harris during a late-night show interview backed the Biden administration’s decision to pardon thousands of Americans convicted of simple marijuana possession, saying “nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.” Harris told Seth Meyers on NBC’s “Late Night With… Read More→
Missouri governor will not grant mass pardons for marijuana offenses after Biden request October 7, 2022 AggregatedNews Missouri 0 Comments Missouri's governor will not grant a blanket pardon to those convicted on minor marijuana offenses after President Joe Biden pardoned federal convictions and urged governors to do the same at the state level. A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Mike Parson said Biden's… Read More→
Bipartisan bill would create mechanism to expunge federal marijuana misdemeanors July 29, 2022 AggregatedNews Federal 0 Comments Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) introduced a bill on Friday that would create a mechanism for federal misdemeanor marijuana offenses to be expunged, amid a new push for decriminalization at the federal level. Carter said in a press release shared with The Hill… Read More→
‘Social equity’ applicants making inroads, gradually, in Massachusetts cannabis business June 27, 2022 AggregatedNews Massachusetts 0 Comments The first time lifelong Holyoke resident Damaris Aponte sold marijuana, she was 14 and growing up in a city deeply impacted by the so-called War on Drugs. She saw many people she knew get arrested on drug charges, and her… Read More→
New marijuana crime included in Virginia budget proposal May 31, 2022 AggregatedNews Virginia 0 Comments RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia legislative leaders are proposing a new criminal misdemeanor in state law for possession of more than four ounces of marijuana in public. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the proposal is included in a new two-year… Read More→
Mayor signs bill repealing St. Louis ban on possessing small amounts of marijuana December 14, 2021 AggregatedNews Missouri 0 Comments Mayor Tishaura O. Jones on Monday signed a recently passed bill that repeals city ordinances making it illegal to possess 35 grams or less of marijuana. “Enforcing stringent marijuana laws diverts our police resources from addressing the most violent crime,”… Read More→
L.A. County D.A. to dismiss 60,000 past marijuana convictions September 28, 2021 AggregatedNews California 0 Comments The nation’s largest prosecutor’s office is moving to dismiss roughly 60,000 marijuana convictions, the latest step to undo what some reform advocates consider the damage caused by narcotics enforcement carried out before Californians voted to legalize marijuana, Los Angeles County… Read More→
Texas bill to lower penalties for marijuana extracts dies a step from Abbott’s desk May 31, 2021 AggregatedNews Texas 0 Comments Legislation that would have reduced criminal penalties for the possession of tetrahydrocannabinol extracts, the psychoactive element of cannabis commonly used in edibles, fell short of reaching Gov. Greg Abbott's desk in the closing hours of the legislative session. The Texas… Read More→