Thousands In Hawaii With Arrest Records For Marijuana Possession Could Have Them Expunged March 6, 2024 AggregatedNews Hawaii 0 Comments Over 36,000 people in Hawaii arrested for possessing less than 3 grams of marijuana before that offense was decriminalized in 2019 could have all or part of their criminal records expunged at no cost if legislation to amend the state’s… Read More→
New Florida bill SB 94 would reduce marijuana possession penalties. What to know January 20, 2024 AggregatedNews Florida 0 Comments A new cannabis bill in Florida is looking to reduce criminal penalties for the possession of cannabis for first, second and third-time violators. Florida Senator Shevrin Jones, D-Miami-Dade, introduced the bill on Jan. 9 at the kickoff of Florida’s 2024 Legislative Session.… Read More→
Missouri courts request $3.7 million to continue arduous marijuana expungement process January 18, 2024 AggregatedNews Missouri 0 Comments Missouri circuit courts have cleared more than 100,000 marijuana charges from people’s criminal records so far — a mandate that was a big selling point for those who voted to pass the constitutional amendment that legalized recreational marijuana in 2022. However, court… Read More→
Parole denied for 68-year-old in Alabama: ‘A life sentence for growing marijuana’ January 17, 2024 AggregatedNews Alabama 0 Comments Leon Hotchkiss, now 68, remains behind bars in Alabama, spending decades imprisoned for growing pot. Authorities seized about five and half pounds of the plant on his property in Baldwin County, allowing authorities to charge him under the state’s marijuana… Read More→
Rhode Island courts expunge more than 23k pot cases under new legalization law June 9, 2023 AggregatedNews Rhode Island 0 Comments Rhode Island court officials announced Thursday they had expunged more than 23,000 marijuana possession charges as required under the state’s new legalization law. “The automatic expungement of marijuana charges has been an organizational feat,” said State Court Administrator Julie P.… Read More→
Legal pot meant a second chance for thousands in Illinois — did the state keep its promise? June 7, 2023 AggregatedNews Illinois 0 Comments The mood at the Sankofa Cultural Arts and Business Center on Chicago’s west side was celebratory on June 25, 2019, as hundreds gathered to watch Illinois make history. With the stroke of a pen, Gov. J.B. Pritzker made it legal… Read More→
If Minnesota legalizes weed, will marijuana-related criminal records be cleared? May 1, 2023 AggregatedNews Minnesota 0 Comments Minnesota may soon become the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana. The state House and Senate both approved the bill last week, and it heads next to Gov. Tim Walz, who has already shared his support. A key part of this legislation is how… Read More→
As expungements on marijuana convictions continue in Missouri, few in prison are eligible March 29, 2023 AggregatedNews Missouri 0 Comments Cody Spencer was arrested in 2009 for marijuana possession and spent two years in prison. At the time it was a crime, but now, thanks to a newly passed constitutional amendment, the Columbia resident is eligible to have it expunged… Read More→
People can now get proof of their federal marijuana pardons, 5 months after the program was announced March 7, 2023 AggregatedNews Federal 0 Comments People with federal marijuana possession convictions can finally apply for certificates of proof for the pardons announced by President Joe Biden late last year. The Department of Justice announced the online application for a “certificate of proof” of the pardons… Read More→
Clean Slates Promised Under New York Marijuana Law Prove Complicated February 13, 2023 AggregatedNews New York 0 Comments When New York legalized recreational marijuana two years ago, it was meant to tear up the path to prison that being convicted of possession had long paved. But even as legalization took effect and New Yorkers could smoke with impunity,… Read More→
After Virginia legalized pot, majority of defendants are still Black October 17, 2022 AggregatedNews Virginia 0 Comments A year after Virginia lawmakers legalized recreational marijuana with hopes of lessening racial disparities in enforcement, police in the state are still more likely to arrest Black people than White people for marijuana-related offenses, a Washington Post analysis found. While… Read More→
Michigan police say faulty marijuana tests could impact more than 3,250 cases September 1, 2022 AggregatedNews Michigan 0 Comments Michigan state police say tests intended to detect THC in blood aren’t working, and haven’t for years. Several thousand criminal cases may be impacted by the revelation. The agency has halted further blood toxicology testing for THC until a third-party,… Read More→
Changes to Virginia marijuana laws you need to know July 11, 2022 AggregatedNews Virginia 0 Comments July 1st marked the one year anniversary of marijuana legalization in Virginia. With that anniversary comes multiple changes to marijuana laws in the commonwealth. Here's what you need to know. Is marijuana legal in Virginia? Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin signed the 2022… Read More→
Pot shop robberies are fueling calls for a U.S. banking bill April 26, 2022 AggregatedNews Banking, Finance & Real Estate 0 Comments A surge in robberies at licensed cannabis shops — including a pistol-whipping, gunshots and killings in Washington state last month — is helping fuel a renewed push for federal banking reforms that would make the cash-dependent stores a less appealing… Read More→
Bill to allow marijuana resentencing in Virginia dies in GOP-led House panel March 8, 2022 AggregatedNews Virginia 0 Comments A Republican-led panel of Virginia House members on Monday blocked a bill that would have allowed people incarcerated or on probation for marijuana-related crimes to ask a court for a modified sentence. A bill sponsored by Democratic Sen. Scott Surovell… Read More→