Over 7,500 pot convictions in Missouri overturned

More than 7,500 people in Missouri have had their previous marijuana-related convictions overturned, with recreational cannabis now legal in the state.

The deletion is the latest byproduct of the constitutional amendment passed by Missouri voters last fall, legalizing adult-use marijuana and opening the way for Missourians to have their records wiped.

According to the Riverfront Times, the passage of Amendment 3 “started a process to erase criminal records related to nonviolent marijuana crimes that would otherwise have been legal if Amendment 3 had always been part of the Missouri Constitution.”

“Most of the convictions that have been overturned so far are administrative offences. Away [last] On Tuesday, courts granted 6,121 waivers for nonviolent cannabis offenses that did not involve selling to a minor or driving under the influence of cannabis. More than 1,200 felony convictions were also overturned,” the publication reported.

Dan Viets, secretary of the National Organization for Marijuana Law Reform, who helped draft state cannabis laws for medicinal purposes and cannabis enjoyment, told the Riverfront Times that the process is “moving faster” than he expected.

It’s become a recurring theme with Show Me State’s introduction of its new marijuana law.

Legal recreational cannabis sales started on February 6, earlier than expected.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported at the time that the burgeoning cannabis industry “expected that the licenses required to sell non-medical cannabis would first be issued by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services [days later].”

The launch of legal cannabis sales came just a month after the Missouri Department of Health and Elderly Services announced it was finalizing the rules for the new adult cannabis program.

“Once the rules go into effect, the DHSS will begin approving or denying applications from licensed medical marijuana facilities to convert them into comprehensive facilities that can serve both medical and adult consumers. After the transition, sales to adult consumers can begin once comprehensive dispensaries are ready to begin operations under their new authority. Also pursuant to Amendment 3 to Article XIV, starting February 6, DHSS will begin accepting applications for consumer personal cultivation. Once approved, this will permit authorized persons at least 21 years of age to grow plants for personal, non-commercial use in a closed, locked facility in their place of residence,” the department said in a January bulletin.

But like other states that have lifted bans on cannabis use, Missouri’s new law aims to right past wrongs done by anti-pot laws.

According to the Riverfront Times, the newly passed amendment “sets deadlines for when courts must eliminate certain crimes.”

“A deadline is fast approaching – sentencing courts have until March 8 to complete the wrongdoing verdicts of those currently in jail or jail. But most other crime deadlines are at least 3 1/2 months away,” the Times reported. “District courts have until June 8 to order the deletion of criminal records for all marijuana offenses of individuals no longer under the supervision of the Department of Corrections. And they have until December 8 to erase the criminal records of people who have already served their sentences for marijuana crimes that are no longer felonies.”

“Questions about how the Missouri court system might sustain the expected influx of cancellation requests that circulated prior to the passage of Amendment 3 in November. In October, the Missouri Supreme Court asked for nearly $7 million to cover the costs of overturning valid marijuana convictions. The Missouri Office of State Courts Administration also submitted an additional budget request requesting $2.5 million to cover employee overtime and hire additional IT staff,” the publication continued.