Following the legalization of cannabis for adults in 2021, Connecticut’s House of Representatives has passed additional legislation to expunge marijuana possession charges from criminal records.
Rectifying the consequences of cannabis convictions
The original recreational cannabis bill already included provisions for the erasure of past offenses. However, in 2023, Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin informed lawmakers that more than 4,200 open criminal cases involved cannabis possession charges, with 1,562 of those charges now dismissed. Representative Steve Stafstrom, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, emphasized the need to right the wrongs of the war on drugs and ensure that individuals are no longer prosecuted for possessing cannabis.
In addition to expunging cannabis-related charges, the evolving bill’s current version provides for eliminating simple marijuana possession charges that are co-occurring with other offenses, which would allow incarcerated individuals to request modifications to their sentences.
The approved measures have now been passed along to the Connecticut Senate, with expectations for their passage remaining high. Should they be successfully enacted, Connecticut would join a growing number of states that are seeking to address past cannabis convictions’ effects and promote social equity within the expanding legal marijuana industry.
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