▶ Watch Video: 175,000 marijuana convictions pardoned by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore BALTIMORE — Maryland Gov. Wes.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore pardoned more than 175,000 marijuana convictions Monday in a sweeping executive order. It impacts misdemeanor charges for people who were found guilty of possessing small amounts of marijuana.
More than 150,000 of the convictions being pardoned are misdemeanors for simple possession of cannabis, and another 18,000 misdemeanors are for use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia.
“Today we take a big step in enacting the kinds of policies that can reverse the harm of the past and to help us to work together to build a brighter future,” the governor said at a press conference Monday. “This is a really big deal.”
Moore told the he’s acting to heal decades of social and economic injustice that disproportionately harmed people of color.
“I’m ecstatic that we have a real opportunity with what I’m signing to right a lot of historical wrongs,” Moore said in an interview with the Post. “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.”
Moore said criminal records have been used to prevent people from attaining employment, housing, and education.
