|
The mass pardon by Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat, comes after
Maryland residents voted in November 2022 to legalize adult use
of marijuana through a ballot referendum.
"We cannot address the benefits of legalization if we do not
address the consequences of criminalization," Moore said on
Monday, noting that people with convictions have a harder time
obtaining housing, education and employment even after they've
served their sentences.
The move comes on the heels of a similar mass pardon in
Massachusetts, and after President Joe Biden has issued 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.
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.
"If you look at the past, you see how policies have been
intentionally deployed to hold back entire communities," Moore
said. "We're talking about tools that have led to the mass
incarceration of Black men and boys."
The executive order pardons convictions related to misdemeanor
possession of cannabis and certain convictions for misdemeanor
possession of drug paraphernalia, Moore said.
Marijuana use and possession remains illegal under federal law,
but 24 states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana
under state law. Thirty-eight states and Washington D.C. allow
medical use of marijuana, according to the National Conference
of State Legislatures.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter, Editing by Franklin Paul)
[© 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not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.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.
|
|
