Seattle to Clear Over 500 Cannabis Convictions Dating Back to the 1980s – News

the court motion, Holmes cites an ACLU report that found that “African-Americans are 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana than Caucasians, even though both groups consume marijuana at similar rates. “

“As we see marijuana sold in retail storefronts today, people who simply had a joint in their pocket a decade ago still have a red mark on their records,” Holmes said in a statement,

An official press release from the city reports that the motion would clear the records of 542 people who were arrested for minor pot possession over the past 30 years. “While we cannot reverse all the harm that was done, we must do our part to give Seattle residents – including immigrants and refugees – a clean slate. Noncitizens have also been unduly burdened by these convictions, which can provide a roadblock to gaining citizenship, or in the worst case, can initiate deportation proceedings. “

Recreational cannabis has been legal in Washington since 2012, but unlike California, the state’s legalization measure does not include provisions to help former cannabis offenders clear their records.