After reviewing each case individually, the state of Connecticut will automatically expunge low-level marijuana convictions for tens of thousands of people on January 1, as promised by the governor.
The state has identified approximately 44,000 qualified possession cases that will be processed automatically beginning in the new year, as per a clause of the cannabis legalization measure approved by Gov. Ned Lamont (D) last year.
“On January 1, thousands of people in Connecticut will have low-level cannabis convictions automatically erased due to the cannabis legalization bill we enacted last year,” Lamont stated in a press release recently.
He also mentioned “Especially as Connecticut employers seek to fill hundreds of thousands of job openings, an old conviction for low-level cannabis possession should not hold someone back from pursuing their career, housing, professional, and educational aspirations.”
Meanwhile, Lamont has cheered the policy shift that is finally being put into action, and he has been a vocal advocate for legalization for years. For instance, in June he posted a video clip of a country song with lyrics praising Connecticut because it is now “cool to smoke pot” due to the governor’s signature on a bill legalizing the drug.
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear signed two marijuana-related executive orders last month: one to protect patients who meet certain criteria and possess medical cannabis legally obtained from dispensaries outside of the state, and another to regulate the sale of delta-8 THC products. The governor is exercising his clemency powers to legalize medical marijuana according to a report in Marijunana Moment.
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