Wes Moore, the governor of Maryland, issued pardons for 175,000 cannabis-related convictions on Monday, the largest mass pardoning of its kind since recreational cannabis was legalized in the state last year following similar moves across many US states.
The Democratic leader’s executive order includes more than 150,000 misdemeanor convictions for simple possession of cannabis and over 18,000 misdemeanor convictions for use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia.
Moore, Maryland’s first Black governor, said the pardons were designed to address longstanding inequities in the criminal justice system connected to the drug.
“Marylanders should not continue to face barriers to housing, employment, or educational opportunities based on convictions for conduct that is no longer illegal,” Moore said in a statement.
“This action will also help make significant progress to address the racial wealth gap and will benefit Marylanders from across the state and from across the economic spectrum,” he added.
The order was timed to coincide with the Juneteenth federal holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the US and draws attention to persistent racial inequities in US society.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Black people are 3.6 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession despite similar rates of consumption.
Maryland’s pardons follow a federal order in 2022 that pardoned several categories of federal marijuana possession offenses and the Biden administration is pushing to reclassify marijuana as a less-dangerous drug ahead of November’s presidential election, following a recommendation from the DEA.
Earlier this year Maura Healey, the governor of Massachusetts, also issued a mass pardon to people convicted for simple possession of marijuana.
Before issuing the pardons in Maryland, Moore told the Washington Post that he was “ecstatic” to have the opportunity “to right a lot of historical wrongs” and said that to be able to create inclusive economic growth, “you have to start removing these barriers that continue to disproportionately sit on communities of color”.
