Los Angeles County plans to dismiss 60,000 cannabis convictions

It was recently announced that 60,000 cannabis convictions were being dismissed in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón and the Social Impact Center, a nonprofit with ties to government, grassroots organizations, and people in underserved communities, are behind the layoffs.

The decision follows the passage of the Assembly Bill 1793, which dismissed around 66,000 cannabis convictions in 2020. The most recent layoffs were announced during “Week of Action and Awareness (WOAA),” formerly known as National Extinction Week. In the meantime, a total of around 125,000 terminations have been issued.

In 2016, Gascón co-wrote Proposition 64, known as The Adult Use of Marijuana Act. It legalized the possession, transport, purchase, consumption, and sharing of up to one ounce of marijuana and up to eight grams of marijuana concentrate for adults 21 and older.

“The overturning of these convictions means the possibility of a better future for the thousands of disenfranchised people who are receiving this long-needed relief,” said Gascón. “It clears the way for them to find jobs, housing, and other services that were previously denied to them because of unjust cannabis laws.”

Gascón made the announcement with Felicia Carbajal, the executive director and community leader of the Social Impact Center. “I have made it my life’s work to help and support people affected by the ‘war on drugs’,” said Carbajal. “I have worked for years to give new life to people with cannabis beliefs by clearing the records, and I am grateful that we can make this a reality now.”

The cannabis ban largely affects the black and Latin American communities, particularly in Los Angeles. It remained a problem after Proposition 64 was passed. Lynne Lyman, the former director of the Drug Policy Alliance, believes past mistakes are now being corrected.

“This is the unfinished work of Proposition 64,” Lyman said. “We created the opportunity to clear up old cannabis convictions, but it was up to the local prosecutors to actually do it. Proposition 64 has always been about more than just legal weed; It was a deliberate attempt to repair the past damage of the war on drugs and cannabis prohibitions, which disproportionately targeted people of color. “

The 1739 Assembly Bill led prosecutors to review previous convictions. Unfortunately, the review focused only on cases from US Department of Justice data. After reading the Los Angeles District court records, cases of administrative offenses spanning three decades were discovered. After 2020, there were still 58,000 cases of criminal offenses and misdemeanors. The prisoners did not know that they could be released or re-sentenced. Now their files have also been sealed in the hope that this will not affect their immigration status, education and job opportunities.

After Proposition 64 was passed, colored communities in California’s most populous county continued to face injustice over cannabis. In 2021 alone, blacks and Latinos made up over 75 percent of cannabis arrests in Los Angeles. The marijuana ban didn’t stop in Los Angeles County after legalization, although it didn’t largely affect white people. In 2019, whites made up only 10 percent of cannabis arrests. From 2004 to 2008, blacks were seven times more likely than whites to be arrested for cannabis in Los Angeles.

There were still roadblocks in place under Proposition 64 and Assembly Bill 1793, which Assistant Public Defender Erika Anzoategui believes will now be dismantled.

“The closing of 60,000 marijuana-related cases by Gascón Public Prosecutor is a critical step in reforming our criminal justice system,” said Anzoategui. “This sends the right signal to the community that the nation was wrong in its ‘war on marijuana’ and that criminal convictions for marijuana crimes have disproportionately negative effects on communities of color. We join DA Gascón in removing obstacles to employment, housing and education by firing and sealing those convictions. ”