Connecticut governor clears thousands of cannabis convictions

Tens of thousands of Connecticut residents face having their files wiped after the state’s Democratic governor announced on Tuesday that he would overturn low-level cannabis possession convictions.

Gov. Ned Lamont’s office said in a press release that records “will be erased, in whole or in part, by “an automated erasure method” in approximately 44,000 cases over the next month.”

“On January 1, thousands of people in Connecticut will automatically have low-level cannabis convictions expunged as a result of the cannabis legalization act we passed last year,” Lamont said in a statement. “Especially as Connecticut employers are trying to fill hundreds of thousands of open positions, a previous low-level cannabis possession conviction should not deter anyone from pursuing their career, housing, work and educational goals.”

The deletions are part of the state’s longstanding cannabis law. In June 2021, Lamont signed a bill legalizing adult recreational use of cannabis and establishing the regulatory framework for a legal marijuana market.

The state said it received more than 15,000 applications for pharmacy licenses before the May deadline.

Legal adult sales are expected to begin next year.

As in other states and cities that have repealed cannabis prohibition, Connecticut’s new law contained a significant social justice component, with provisions for granting the first retail licenses to those from areas hardest hit by longstanding drug policies and for Deletion of records of those with certain marijuana-related beliefs.

“That’s why I introduced legislation and worked hard with our partners in the legislature and other stakeholders to create a comprehensive framework for a safely regulated market that prioritizes public health, public safety, social justice and equity.” It will help eliminate the dangerous unregulated market and support a new, growing sector of our economy that will create jobs,” Lamont said after signing the bill last year. “By allowing adult possession of cannabis, regulating its sale and content, training law enforcement officers in the latest techniques to detect and prevent disruptive driving, and erasing the criminal records of individuals with certain cannabis crimes, we are not only effectively modernizing our laws and addressing injustices , we keep Connecticut economically competitive with our neighboring states.”

On Tuesday, Lamont’s office laid out how the deletions will work in practice.

Residents “whose records have been deleted can notify employers, landlords and schools that the conviction never happened,” the press release said, while providing details on eligibility for the deletion.

“Conviction convictions … for possession of less than four ounces of a non-narcotic, non-hallucinogenic substance imposed between January 1, 2000 and September 30, 2015 will be automatically expunged on January 1, 2023,” the bureau said of the governor. adding that individuals “who fall under this provision of the law need not do anything for those convictions to be expunged.”

The governor’s office said that the “Clean Slate automated deletion system is expected to be fully implemented in the second half of 2023,” implementation of which will require “significant upgrades in information technology to enable criminal justice agencies to send and receive data to determine who may have it.” erase their crimes and update the recording systems.”

Other violations, including the following, may also be cleared, although individuals must file an application with the court: “Convictions for violations of…possession of less than or equal to four ounces of a cannabis-like substance that were imposed before January 1, 2000, and between October 1, 2015 and June 30, 2021; Convictions for offenses of…possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia for cannabis imposed before July 1, 2021; [and] Violation convictions … issued prior to July 1, 2021 for making, selling, possessing with intent to sell, or supplying or administering to another person a cannabis-like substance and the amount involved was less than four ounces, or six plants, consumed in a person’s home grown for personal use.”