Maryland Gov. Wes Moore plans to sign an executive order Monday granting more than 175,000 pardons for marijuana possession convictions, the governor’s office said.
The administration describes the pardons as the largest state pardon to date. The governor’s action regarding cases involving paraphernalia use makes Maryland the first state to take such action, his office said.
The pardons will clear low-level marijuana possession charges for about 100,000 people, according to Washington Postwhich first reported on the order Sunday night.
Moore plans to sign the executive order Monday morning at the state Capitol in Annapolis with Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown present.
Recreational cannabis was legalized in Maryland in 2023 after voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2022 with 67% of the vote. Maryland decriminalized the possession of quantities of cannabis for personal use on January 1, 2023. Now, 24 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational cannabis.
“The Moore-Miller administration is committed to promoting social equity and ensuring the fair and equitable administration of justice,” the governor’s office said. “Because the use and possession of cannabis is no longer illegal in the state, Marylanders should no longer face barriers to accessing housing, employment, or educational opportunities based on convictions for conduct that is no longer illegal.”
Brown, a Democrat, described the pardons as “certainly long overdue as a nation” and “a matter of racial equity.”
“While pardons will be extended to anyone with a misdemeanor conviction for possession of marijuana or paraphernalia, this unequivocally, without any doubt or reservation, disproportionately impacts, in a good way, Black and Brown Marylanders.” Brown told the Post.
More than 150,000 misdemeanor convictions for simple possession of cannabis will be affected by the order, which will also cover more than 18,000 misdemeanor convictions for use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia, according to a summary from the governor’s office. .
Pardons reflect the number of convictions. Some people may have had more than one sentence forgiven during the process.
Pardons will not result in the release of anyone from prison.
After Moore signs the pardon, Maryland’s judiciary will ensure that each individual electronic file is updated with an entry indicating that the conviction has been pardoned by the governor, a process that should take about two weeks, the office said. of the governor.
The governor’s order also directs the state corrections department to develop a process for indicating a pardon on an individual’s criminal record, a process that is expected to take about 10 months to complete.
Pardons absolve people of guilt of a criminal offense and individuals do not need to take any action to receive a pardon.
A pardon is different from an expungement. Although the Judiciary will record in the file that the crime has been forgiven, it will also be recorded in the file. Expungement is the process by which a criminal conviction is destroyed and completely removed from the public record, requiring an additional step.
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