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Maryland governor issues pardons for more than 175,000 marijuana convictions

On Monday June 17, Maryland’s governor issued pardons for more than 175,000 marijuana convictions.

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Maryland marijuana convictions pardon
Governor Moore, and Lt. Governor Aruna Miller participate with Senate President and Speaker of the House in the May 3rd bill signing. by Joe Andrucyk, Patrick Siebert at Governor's Reception Room, 100 State Circle, Annapolis MD 21401 (Photo Credit : Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wes_Moore_signing_the_Cannabis_Reform_bill_(52870175644).jpg)

On Monday June 17, Maryland’s governor issued pardons for more than 175,000 marijuana convictions.

This initiative comes almost two years after Maryland voters approved a constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana for people 21 and older.

Maryland marijuana convictions pardons

The pardons by Gov. Wes Moore will forgive low-level marijuana possession and certain paraphernalia charges, the governor’s office said – noting it was possible for a person to have more than one conviction pardoned.

“This is about changing how both government and society view those who have been walled off from opportunity because of broken and uneven policies,” Moore said at a signing event Monday.

Disproportionate impact

The governor described his executive order as “the most sweeping state-level pardon” in the country’s history.

Acknowledging the disproportionate impact the issue has on Black and brown people, the event coincided this week with Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the US, The Washington Post reported.

Maryland marijuana convictions pardon stats

The executive order will result in the pardons of more than 150,000 misdemeanor convictions for simple possession of cannabis and more than 18,000 misdemeanor convictions for use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia, the governor office said. About 25% of those convictions stem from the city of Baltimore.


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Unheard Voices, an award-winning, family-operated online news magazine, began in 2004 as a community newsletter serving Neptune, Asbury Park, and Long Branch, N.J. Over time, it grew into a nationally recognized Black-owned media outlet. The publication remains one of the few dedicated to covering social justice issues. Its honors include the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and multiple media innovator awards for excellence in social justice reporting and communications.

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