The New Mexico judicial branch is seeking to change the state’s rules for expunging cannabis convictions, the Albuquerque Journal reports.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Shannon Bacon said the program should require individuals to file their own applications for expungement rather than requiring the judicial branch to identify eligible cases.
Chief Justice Bacon said that requiring individuals to file their own applications for expungement would be more efficient and fairer than requiring the judicial branch to identify the cases. She also said that it would be important to develop a process for verifying that applicants have not been convicted of any other crimes since their cannabis conviction.
These provisions were included in the Legislature-approved adult-use cannabis law. Bacon is hoping to address these concerns during the state’s upcoming 60-day session according to a report from Ganpreneur.
Since the New Mexico Cannabis Legalization Act took effect on July 1, there is no data yet available as to how many residents have had their cannabis-related convictions expunged. There was also no data as to the number of objections filed by prosecutors in advance of the July 1 deadline.
Barry Massey, the spokesman for the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts, told the Albuquerque Journal that there is not yet available data as to exactly how many residents have had their cannabis-related convictions expunged since the law took effect.
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