Maryland Governor Wes Moore has pardoned more than 175,000 marijuana convictions – the most in the United States – in an effort to give convicts “a fresh start.”
The Democrat declared the measure “the broadest statewide pardon in any state” and said it will help reverse the damage caused by the War on Drugs as he signed the order Monday.
It will include more than 150,000 misdemeanor convictions for simple possession and more than 18,000 misdemeanor convictions for use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia, the governor’s office says.
Some people may even have more than one conviction forgiven under the order.
“We are taking actions that are intentional, radical and remorseless, and this is the largest action of its kind in the history of our nation,” Moore said at a news conference.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore on Monday pardoned more than 175,000 marijuana convictions
Advocates praised the measure as a way to remove barriers to employment, housing or educational opportunities based on conduct that is no longer illegal.
Recreational marijuana became legal in Maryland in 2023 after voters approved a constitutional amendment.
“This is about changing the way both government and society view those who have been excluded from opportunities due to failed and inequitable policies,” Moore said.
He added that “legalization does not turn back the clock on decades of damage caused by this War on Drugs.”
‘This does not erase the fact that black Marylanders were three times more likely to be arrested for cannabis than whites before legalization. That doesn’t erase the fact that having a conviction on your record means having difficulty with everything from housing to employment to education.
Advocates praised the measure as a way to remove barriers to employment, housing or educational opportunities based on conduct that is no longer illegal.
Shiloh Jordan, who once lost her job on her second day after a minor cannabis conviction showed up on her background check, attended the signing.
Shiloh Jordan, who once lost her job on her second day after a minor cannabis conviction showed up on her background check, praised the move.
“It means a lot because I know a lot of people who have been convicted of minor cannabis-related charges, and it really affected their whole way of life and their way of thinking.”
State Attorney General Anthony Brown also said it was “long overdue.”
“As a nation, we have taken too long to correct the injustices of a system that is supposed to be fair to everyone,” he said.
“This is about racial justice,” Brown continued. “While this order applies to everyone who meets its criteria, the impact is a triumphant victory for African Americans and other Marylanders of color who were disproportionately arrested, convicted, and sentenced yesterday for actions that are legal today.” .
Moore declared the measure to be “the most comprehensive statewide forgiveness ever seen in any state.”
He went on to describe cannabis convictions as “scarlet letters” and “modern shackles.”
“I can almost hear the sound of those shackles hitting the ground with your pardon this morning, governor,” Brown said.
The state judiciary will now work to ensure that each individual electronic file is updated with an entry indicating that the conviction has been pardoned by the governor, a process that the governor’s office says should take about two weeks.
The corrections department will also work to develop a process to indicate a pardon on each individual’s criminal record, which process can take 10 months to complete.
With the order, Maryland joins nine other states that have forgiven marijuana convictions.
Those with marijuana convictions can also petition a state court to have their records expunged, but those cases will be decided individually.
And people with convictions prior to electronic records can also obtain a pardon, but must apply individually. according to the New York Times.
With the order, Maryland joins nine other states that have forgiven hundreds of thousands of marijuana convictions as legalization spreads.
In December, Biden also pardoned thousands of people who were convicted of marijuana use and possession on federal lands and in DC.