National

Thanks to Legalization, Californians Previously Convicted of Marijuana Crimes May Have Criminal Records Cleared


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Source: Drug Policy Alliance

CALIFORNIA—(ENEWSPF)—December 31, 2017

By: Rosemary Piser

In addition to recreational marijuana becoming legal on New Year’s Day, California is offering a second chance to people convicted of almost any marijuana crimes, from serious felonies to small infractions, with the opportunity to have their criminal records cleared or the charges sharply reduced. State officials hope to reverse decades of marijuana convictions that can make it difficult for people to gain meaningful employment and disproportionately affect low-income minorities.

Details are provided in the articles posted below that were previously published in the Washington Post, NPR, and the Los Angeles Times.

Washington Post

Convicted of a marijuana crime in California? It might go away, thanks to legal pot.

By: Rob Kuznia and Katie Zezima

December 17, 2017

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/convicted-of-a-marijuana-crime-in-california-it-might-go-away-thanks-to-legal-pot/2017/12/17/1e9a2564-d90f-11e7-b859-fb0995360725_story.html?utm_term=.5e3fa6760e04

NPR

Carrying A Weed Conviction In California? There May Be A Fix For That

By: Tanya Ballard Brown

December 19, 2017

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/19/571956487/carrying-a-weed-conviction-in-california-there-may-be-a-fix-for-that

Los Angeles Times

Free legal clinic assists those who want to reduce or expunge marijuana convictions

By: Christine Mai-Duc

December 2, 2017

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-expungement-fair-20171202-story.html

Source: www.drugpolicy.org

 


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