Los Angeles County rejects 60,000 more cannabis convictions

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced today that his office will automatically overturn nearly 60,000 previous cannabis convictions as part of an ongoing effort to repair the damage caused by the war on drugs.

Gascón’s move follows the first wave of deletions carried out by his predecessor Jackie Lacey, who dismissed 66,000 marijuana-related convictions last year.

Today’s announcement means Los Angeles County has dismissed a total of around 125,000 previous cannabis convictions. The deletions come roughly five years after California voters legalized adult marijuana use in November 2016.

“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.”

Related

Deletion: what does it mean and how do I get one?

This week, focus on the deletion

The announcement of Gascón came as part of the Action and Awareness Week, formerly known as National Extinction Week, which runs from September 26th to October 3rd.

The week is being organized by National Expungement Works, a coalition of grassroots organizers from across the country committed to providing access to record support and all-round services beyond record sharing.

Positive effects of the state law of 2018

Today’s lawsuit was due in part to Assembly Bill 1793, passed and enacted in 2018 by former Governor Jerry Brown. AB 1793 allowed individuals with previous California cannabis convictions to change those convictions based on the type of previous conviction.

Lacey’s office rejected 66,000 convictions in February 2020, but Gascón hired staff to dig deeper. The 2020 cases come from a review of the California Department of Justice’s data. Gascón staff examined the Los Angeles District court records and identified 58,000 criminal and misdemeanor cases spanning more than three decades that were eligible for release.

This is how you can set aside your previous conviction

Bruce Barcott

Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, research, and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.

View article by Bruce Barcott

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