Colorado Bill Doubles Marijuana Possession, Seals Some Previous Conviction Records

Coloradans can now legally possess up to two ounces of recreational cannabis.

Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill on Thursday, doubling the marijuana possession limit for adults 21 and older, Marijuana Moment writes.

In addition to increasing the cannabis possession limit, House Bill 1090, which was cleared in a Senate vote in late April, seeks to identify people with prior convictions for up to 2 ounces of pot possession and clear their records.

The legislation requires courts to approve requests for sealing prior records without the need to consult with a district attorney.

“This is a fascinating bill in the vein of criminal justice reform because, for far too long, the consequences for people who had a personal amount of cannabis before it had been legalized still had a long shadow on them so for doing something that is fully legal today,” Polis said in a statement. “They might have something on their record—and, of course, disproportionately people of color— that might get in the way of them getting loans or leases or licenses or jobs or mortgages or many other things.”

And while there are indications that Polis’ office will move forward with pardons, as it did last year when it granted clemency to nearly 3,000 people found guilty for possessing one ounce or less of marijuana, the new measure does not call for review of possession cases involving up to two ounces and that may be eligible for pardon.

Still, Polis intends for his office to dive into the issue “as soon as it’s drawn up in the next month or two.”

Earlier in May, Polis inked a bill to expand access to medical cannabis for school children in need.

Photo by Esteban Lopez on Unsplash