Coloradans convicted of marijuana possession could easily get their record sealed under new bill April 5, 2021 AggregatedNews Colorado 0 Comments Colorado lawmakers are on track to give more people convicted of marijuana possession offenses the opportunity to easily seal their criminal record, by requiring courts to seal convictions for possession up to two ounces for people who haven’t committed a… Read More→
Thousands of California marijuana convictions officially reduced, others dismissed March 8, 2021 AggregatedNews California 0 Comments With the stroke of a pen by a Superior Court judge in California, nearly 26,000 people with felony marijuana convictions on their records had them reduced to less onerous misdemeanor convictions last month. In addition, some 1,000 people with misdemeanor… Read More→
New Jersey Stops Marijuana Arrests, Ends Pending Prosecutions February 24, 2021 AggregatedNews New Jersey 0 Comments New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal has ordered an immediate end to marijuana arrests and pending prosecutions while telling courts to set aside convictions before this week, when Governor Phil Murphy signed legalization bills. Weed still can’t be sold legally,… Read More→
N.J. cops are still arresting people for weed. Police say they won’t stop until legal marijuana is official. February 22, 2021 AggregatedNews New Jersey 0 Comments The college student knew she wasn’t going to make the light. The 19-year-old freshman tried anyway, gunning the engine Nov. 17 to beat a traffic signal in front of the Mennen Sports Arena. A Morris County Park Police officer was… Read More→
Virginia Lawmakers to Include Racial Equity in Marijuana Bill February 1, 2021 AggregatedNews Virginia 0 Comments As Virginia's General Assembly debates legalizing marijuana, a House panel met this weekend to fine-tune the bill and include racial-equity policies. After decriminalizing marijuana last year, lawmakers have introduced House Bill 2312 to regulate a potential billion-dollar industry. Del. Lashrecse Aird, D-Chesterfield,… Read More→
New Jersey Legalizes Marijuana, But Growing At Home Is Still A Felony December 15, 2020 AggregatedNews New Jersey 0 Comments New Jersey is set to become the only state in the U.S. where adults can legally use, possess, and purchase cannabis while still risking prison for growing marijuana at home—under any circumstances. On Election Day, more than two-thirds of voters… Read More→
Countless Coloradans left out of Polis’ marijuana conviction pardoning December 2, 2020 AggregatedNews Colorado 0 Comments Michael Diaz-Rivera was 19 years old when he was arrested in 2006 for felony marijuana possession in Colorado Springs. He had less than an ounce, but took a plea deal for 8 ounces or more to avoid a charge for… Read More→
Colorado governor to mass-pardon 2,700-plus marijuana convictions October 2, 2020 AggregatedNews Colorado 0 Comments Colorado Gov. Jared Polis plans to mass-pardon 2,732 convictions of low-level marijuana possession through an executive order Thursday after signing a bill earlier this year that gave him that authority. “This really catches Coloradans up with where the law is today,” he… Read More→
New Yorkers Can Now Apply To Have Their Marijuana Conviction Records Destroyed September 28, 2020 AggregatedNews New York 0 Comments New Yorkers who had their low-level marijuana convictions expunged from their record, per the passage of the Marijuana and Decriminalization and Expungements Bill in July of 2019, can now go a step further by requesting that the physical documentation of… Read More→
New York issues rules on destroying expunged marijuana conviction records September 21, 2020 AggregatedNews New York 0 Comments A state law passed last year legally expunged all convictions for possession of less than two ounces of marijuana. But the paperwork remains in the court system's files and those of police agencies. To get those documents destroyed, a person… Read More→
Austin police won’t cite, arrest for misdemeanor pot charges, chief says July 4, 2020 AggregatedNews Texas 0 Comments Austin police will no longer cite or arrest people for Class A or Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession, Chief Brian Manley said in a memo Thursday. Officers will now only cite or arrest people for misdemeanor marijuana possession if a person’s… Read More→
Does Legalizing Cannabis Increase Crime Rates? It Hasn’t In Colorado Or Washington, A Study Has Shown October 8, 2019 AggregatedNews Policy & Legal 0 Comments A study analyzing crime rates in Colorado and Washington suggests legalizing recreational marijuana has a minimal effect on crime rates, if any. One argument for legalizing marijuana is the assumption that it would lead to lower crime rates—decriminalizing the drug,… Read More→
Denver officials want to clear some 10,000 low-level marijuana convictions, following in Boulder County’s footsteps December 5, 2018 AggregatedNews Colorado 0 Comments Denver officials are planning to clear thousands of marijuana convictions prosecuted before its use became legal in the state. Colorado was among the first states to broadly allow the use and sale of marijuana by adults, but cities elsewhere have… Read More→
Study Shows Violent Crime Is Down In Medical Marijuana States Near Mexico January 16, 2018 AggregatedNews Policy & Legal 0 Comments The legalisation of marijuana for medical purposes has led to a significant reduction in violent crime in several US states bordering Mexico, according to new research. The study, published in The Economic Journal, found that the rate of violent crime – including robberies, murders… Read More→
California’s Prop 64 Allows Some Marijuana Convicts to Wipe Their Record Clean May 22, 2017 AggregatedNews California 0 Comments Jay Schlauch's conviction for peddling pot haunted him for nearly a quarter century. The felony prevented him from landing jobs, gave his wife doubts about tying the knot and cast a shadow over his typically sunny outlook on life. So… Read More→