|
Governor Wes Moore told the Post that he would make the mass
pardon on Monday morning. He said that the timing was meant to
coincide with this week's Juneteenth holiday, a day that marks
the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.
Moore's office did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
Black Americans have historically been more than three times as
likely as white Americans to be arrested on marijuana charges,
according to research from the American Civil Liberties Union.
Moore told the Post that such criminal records have been used to
deny housing, employment and education, holding people and their
families back long after their sentences have been served.
"I'm ecstatic that we have a real opportunity with what I'm
signing to right a lot of historical wrongs," Moore told the
Post.
The move by Moore comes on the heels of a similar mass pardon in
Massachusetts, and after President Joe Biden issued some pardons
in recent years on federal drug convictions. In April, Biden's
administration took steps to make marijuana use a less serious
crime at the federal level.
While marijuana use and possession remains illegal under federal
law, 24 states - including Maryland and Washington D.C. - have
legalized the recreational use of marijuana under state law,
while 38 states and Washington D.C. allow medical use of
marijuana, according to the National Conference of State
Legislatures.
(Reporting by Brad Brooks; editing by Diane Craft)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
