The Washington Post said Sunday night that the governor of Maryland is anticipated to pardon “more than 175,000 marijuana convictions” on Monday morning.
About 100,000 people are anticipated to have their low-level marijuana possession charges dismissed by Gov. Wes Moore, according to Post reporting.
“Will automatically forgive every misdemeanor marijuana possession charge the Maryland judiciary could locate in the state’s electronic court records system, along with every misdemeanor paraphernalia charge tied to use or possession of marijuana,” the Post stated of the pardons, which also apply to those who have passed away.
CNN has inquired about further details from Moore’s office.
“With what I’m signing, we have a real opportunity to right a lot of historical wrongs,” the Democratic governor stated in a Post interview. “You have to start taking down these barriers that continue to disproportionately affect communities of color if you want to be able to create inclusive economic growth.”
The Post claims that the pardons are especially scheduled to fall on Juneteenth, a celebration honoring the abolition of slavery in the United States.
In an interview with the Post, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown stated, “While the pardons will extend to anyone and everyone with a misdemeanor conviction for the possession of marijuana or paraphernalia, this unequivocally, without any doubt or reservation, disproportionately impacts — in a good way — Black and Brown Marylanders.” “We are more frequently arrested and found guilty for marijuana possession and use even though our usage rate was the same as that of any other group of people.”
For a response, CNN has contacted Brown’s office.
According to a CNN story, Maryland voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2022 that made marijuana use for recreational purposes legal for anybody over the age of 21. The amendment became operative on July 1st, 2023.
Over the past ten years, there has been a radical shift in the public’s and governments’ perceptions on cannabis.
A record 70% of Americans surveyed by Gallup in November 2023 expressed support for the legalization of cannabis. The percentage was 51% in 2014.
Limitations becoming less strict
Marijuana has been subject to the most stringent regulations for more than 50 years since it is classified as a Schedule I substance, along with substances like heroin and ecstasy, which are thought to have no recognized medicinal use and a high potential for misuse.
However, the Biden administration took action to reclassify marijuana as a drug with a lesser risk in April. Reclassifying it as a Schedule III controlled substance—a categorization shared by prescription medications like ketamine and Tylenol with codeine—was the recommendation of the US Department of Justice.
The suggestion came after a review by the US Food and Drug Administration, which was ordered by Biden, who had written to the Justice Department in 2022 to support the rescheduling of marijuana.
Data from the National Conference of State Legislatures shows that at the moment, 24 states, two territories, and Washington, DC have legalized cannabis for adult recreational use, while 38 states permit the use of cannabis products for medical purposes. This year, state-licensed cannabis dispensaries and retail stores should bring in $32.1 billion in revenue, according to projections from MJBiz, a trade newspaper and events organizer for the cannabis sector.
Source: CNN
