San Francisco announces thousands of marijuana convictions will be thrown out
The new measure would address cases dating back as far as 1975...
Wednesday, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced the city would be wiping out thousands of marijuana convictions, erasing decades of criminal records...
Recreational marijuana use is now legal in California.
Wednesday, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced the city would be wiping out thousands of marijuana convictions, erasing decades of criminal records.
Misdemeanor and felony convictions would be either completely cleared or reduced retroactively.
—Over 60 partygoers arrested for less than an ounce of marijuana—
The new measure would address cases dating back as far as 1975.
Prosecutors will also be looking at nearly 5,000 felony marijuana cases to determine if those cases need to be re-sentenced.
—Legalization doesn’t actually fix racial disparity in marijuana arrests—
“Instead of waiting for people to petition — for the community to come out — we have decided that we will do so ourselves,” Gascón said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “We believe it is the right thing to do. We believe it is the just thing to do.”
Under Proposition 64, which was passed in November 2016, a lot of these convictions would be considered either lesser crimes or would not be considered crimes at all.
Gascón said that he hopes his office will pave the way for others in the state to follow suit.
—GOP lawmaker says black people can’t handle marijuana due to ‘their genetics’—
“We’re hoping what we are doing here will not only benefit San Francisco,” he said. “We’re hoping other elected officials around the state will say this is the right thing to do.”
A step toward justice
Rev. Amos Brown, president of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP, praised the move as a big win for minority communities, who have been disproportionately affected by marijuana convictions, despite using the drug at about the same rate as white people.
“This is a giant step for justice,” Brown said Wednesday. “And it is a step toward setting black people free to live in the community, to have jobs, to have health care, to have a decent education, and we just need to keep this good thing a-rollin’.”
