Honolulu, HI: Few Hawaiians have had their marijuana-related convictions expunged, despite the intentions of a 2020 law.
Under the law, those with low-level (possession of less than three grams of cannabis) convictions can petition the courts to have their records expunged. Criminal justice experts have estimated that 12,000 Hawaiians are eligible for relief under the law. However, fewer than 60 people have had their convictions expunged, according to reporting by Hawaii Public Radio.
In March, House lawmakers approved legislation, HB 1595, facilitating state-initiated expungements for anyone with a marijuana misdemeanor conviction on their record. However, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee significantly amended the bill. As amended, the legislation calls upon the state Attorney General’s office to initiate a marijuana expungement pilot program in a single county (Hawaii County). The Senate approved the amended bill earlier this month.
Since 2018, 24 states have enacted laws explicitly providing pathways for expunging eligible marijuana convictions. As a result, state courts have either expunged or sealed the records of more than two million marijuana-related cases, according to publicly available data compiled by NORML.
The full text of the report, Marijuana Pardons and Expungements: By the Numbers, is available from NORML.