“Thousands of citizens unduly carry the undue burden and stigmatization of a past conviction for behavior that is no longer considered to be a crime. Our sense of justice and our principles of fairness demand that officials move swiftly to right the past wrongs of cannabis prohibition and criminalization.”
HB 4982 explicitly permits those convicted of one or more misdemeanor marijuana offenses to file a petition with the court to have their criminal record set aside.
Mayor Stoney calls for legalization in advance of the Virginia General Assembly Special Session convening August 18
State officials have identified nearly 200,000 Californians eligible to have their marijuana-related convictions either dismissed or resentenced.
The move summarily pardons an estimated 15,000 people previously convicted of offenses involving the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis.
While the Governor’s office already possesses the authority to issue pardons in certain circumstances, this measure expands those powers so that the Governor can do so unilaterally for persons with minor marijuana convictions.
The legislation, if enacted, would have shielded an estimated 200,000 low-level marijuana convictions from public view.
Legislators decided 116 to 15 in support of House Bill 83, which mandates, “All court records and police records relating to any … charge of possession of marijuana, … where marijuana is the only charge, the case shall be automatically expunged on or before October 1, 2022.”