New Jersey courts officially dismiss nearly 90,000 cannabis criminal convictions

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Courts in New Jersey have just dismissed nearly 90,000 criminal cannabis cases, completing the first wave of massive efforts to correct the injustice of the ban.

In February of this year, Governor Phil Murphy signed three laws to decriminalize the possession of up to six ounces of weed, establish guidelines for a taxed and regulated market for adult use, and automatically clear criminal records of nonviolent cannabis offenders. On July 1, the day the Erasure Act went into effect, Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court, Stuart Rabner, ordered the courts to begin deleting cannabis crimes.

Now that the law is in place, any Garden State resident arrested for possession or sale of up to an ounce of weed, pot utensils, possession of marijuana in a vehicle, or under the influence of weed is entitled to resolve their cases to let. The court estimates that up to 360,000 people can be cut under this new program.

In less than two weeks, New Jersey Justice has cleared or fired nearly 88,000 of these cases. Some of these cases involve ex-offenders who have served their sentences, but the dismissals also apply to ongoing and pending litigation. People currently incarcerated for nonviolent cannabis crimes can now be released, and anyone serving a suspended or suspended sentence will also be exempted from these obligations.

“Also related violations of the probation conditions or the pre-trial surveillance will be lifted and driver’s license or withdrawal for no-show will be lifted,” said the judiciary in a statement. “The order also instructs that the cases of legitimate defendants who are pending or who have completed the conviction should be evacuated and released.”

This first wave of layoffs is only the first step in a long and complicated process. The courts have yet to start the erasure process, which will completely erase these convictions from each offender’s criminal record. This step is especially important as this criminal record does not allow former offenders to get a job, a home or a student loan.

The judiciary estimates that it will take several months for the deletion process to be completed. And there are at least 270,000 other people whose cases must first be discharged or evacuated before their extinction can even begin. The courts intend to create an electronic system that will allow ex-offenders to check the progress of their deletion.

A growing number of states that legalize cannabis are realizing that eradication is an essential element of cannabis reform. New York cleared over 25,000 previous cases of cannabis possession in 2019, and this year’s Adult Use Act will direct state courts to automatically clear any remaining legitimate cases. Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, and Virginia have passed automatic deletion laws, and lawmakers in California and Pennsylvania are working to pass similar laws.

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