SEATTLE, WA – Gov. Jay Inslee said Friday he will offer pardons to some 3,500 Washington residents with misdemeanor marijuana convictions.
Inslee said that overturning the convictions is the right thing to do since recreational marijuana has been legal in the state since 2013.
“We shouldn’t be punishing people for something that is no longer illegal in Washington state. It is time to end marijuana injustice in our state,” Inslee wrote in a tweet Friday.
Inslee will grant pardons without requiring people to go to court or hire a lawyer.
To qualify, you must have only a single conviction for adult misdemeanor marijuana possession under Washington state law that happened between Jan. 1, 1998 and Dec. 5, 2012. If you think you meet the criteria, you can apply for clemency here: https://www.governor.wa.gov/ma…
In Seattle, city judges in September agreed to grant pardons to some 500 people with marijuana misdemeanors. Those pardons are separate from Inslee’s because they were for breaking city of Seattle laws.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said that sentencing disparities between whites and minorities is a main reason the city is sought to vacate the marijuana convictions. The old conviction can prevent people from getting jobs, apartments, or loans, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes said in 2018.
Inslee made the announcement at the Cannabis Alliance summit in Seattle.
Image via Shutterstock
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