Maryland Gov. To Pardon 175K Low-Level Cannabis Convictions In The Nation's 'Most Far-Reaching And Aggressive' Executive Action

In an interview with the Washington Post published on Sunday, Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) said he'll issue the mass pardon on Monday morning. The timing was chosen carefully to coincide with this week's Juneteenth holiday that commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States.

"I'm ecstatic that we have a real opportunity with what I'm signing to right a lot of historical wrongs," Moore told the outlet. "If you want to be able to create inclusive economic growth, it means you have to start removing these barriers that continue to disproportionately sit on communities of color."

The Governor described the scope of his pardons as "the most far-reaching and aggressive" executive action among legislators across the nation, who also addressed justice inequities related to the cannabis legalization trend.

While Maryland's pardon action is close to that of Massachusetts, where the governor Maura Healey (D) pardoned all people convicted of simple cannabis possession at the state level, Moore's impact on people of color is probably unmatched. Maryland is known for having one of the worst rates for disproportionately incarcerating Black people for any crimes, writes the outlet. According to state data, more than 70% of Maryland’s prison population is comprised of Black males, more than double their proportion in society.

Across the nation, according to the ACLU, Blacks are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than whites despite similar levels of consumption. Biden announced last year that he was pardoning thousands of people who were convicted for the use and/or simple possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia. 2023 pardons included offenses related to “use and possession on certain Federal lands,” – provisions that were not covered by Biden's October 2022 pardon of some 6,500 federal cannabis prisoners.

On both occasions, Biden urged state Governors to do the same with state offenses.

The pardons, which will also apply to the dead, will not release anyone from prison as there are no more people in jail for simple cannabis possession offenses in Maryland. Moore's pardons are expected to automatically forgive every misdemeanor cannabis possession charge the Maryland judiciary traces via its electronic court record system as well as all misdemeanor paraphernalia charges related to the use or possession of cannabis. State officials say Maryland is the first state to pardon paraphernalia charges.

Long Overdue As A Racial Equity Issue

Commenting on Moore's pardon plan, the state Attorney General Anthony G. Brown (D) said the pardons are long overdue as a nation and a "racial equity issue."

"While the pardons will extend to anyone and everyone with a misdemeanor conviction for the possession of marijuana or paraphernalia, this unequivocally, without any doubt or reservation, disproportionately impacts — in a good way — Black and Brown Marylanders," Brown told the outlet. "We are arrested and convicted at higher rates for possession and use of marijuana when the rate at which we used it was no different than any other category of people."

Moore, Brown and Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue, are the first Blacks to hold their offices in the state.

Related Links: Gov. Wes Moore Green-Lights Maryland’s Psychedelics Task Force Bill

Cannabis rescheduling seems to be right around the corner. Want to understand what this means for the future of the industry? Hear directly for top executives, investors and policymakers at the 19th Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, coming to Chicago this Oct. 8-9. Get your tickets now before prices surge by following this link.

Photo: Benzinga edit with images by Maryland State Government via Wikimedia Commons and Matthew Sichkaruk via Unsplash