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 …