Massachusetts governor seeks pardons for marijuana possession offenses
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[March 14, 2024]
By Nate Raymond
BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey on Wednesday
announced she was seeking to pardon hundreds of thousands of people
convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession in the years before the
state legalized cannabis in 2016.
The Democrat's action followed President Joe Biden's earlier moves to
pardon thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession offenses
under federal law and in Washington, D.C., a step he urged governors to
follow for state offenses.
The Massachusetts pardons would fulfill a campaign promise Healey made
when seeking election in 2022 and are, according to her office, the most
comprehensive action a governor has taken since Biden, a fellow
Democrat, called on them to issue marijuana pardons.
"Nobody should face barriers to getting a job, housing or an education
because of an old misdemeanor marijuana conviction that they would not
be charged for today," Healey said in a statement.
The blanket pardon would apply to all past adult state court misdemeanor
convictions for possession of marijuana. The pardon is subject to
approval by the Massachusetts Governor's Council, an elected body that
provides advice and consent on pardons.
Biden in October 2022 pardoned many people convicted of simple marijuana
possession under federal and D.C. law. He issued another proclamation in
December that expanded that relief by adding to the list of pardoned
offenses.
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Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey greets lawmakers as she arrives
for her inauguration in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., January 5,
2023. Jessica Rinaldi/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
In his State of the Union address to Congress last week, Biden cited
those pardons in saying "no one should be jailed for using or
possessing marijuana," and he has directed his administration to
review federal restrictions on marijuana.
Nearly 40 U.S. states have legalized marijuana use in some form, but
it remains completely illegal in some states and at the federal
level. Massachusetts voters legalized marijuana for recreational use
in 2016.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, a Democrat, in a
statement said the pardons would help rectify historic racial
disparities that have "led to the disproportionate incarceration of
Black and brown people and made it nearly impossible for them to
obtain a job, housing, educational opportunities and more."
Governors in others states including Colorado, Illinois, Nevada,
North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin have since 2018
taken actions to pardon marijuana-related offenses.
Unlike many of those pardon actions, the Massachusetts one does not
require those convicted of marijuana offenses to apply to obtain
relief and does not require it to be a person's only offense, a
spokesperson for Healey said.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi
and Bill Berkrot)
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