Colorado lawmakers are on track to give more people convicted of marijuana possession offenses the opportunity to easily seal their criminal record, by requiring courts to seal convictions for possession up to two ounces for people who haven’t committed a crime since.
House Bill 1090 would also expand Colorado’s recreational marijuana possession limit to two ounces up from one, opening an avenue for Gov. Jared Polis to issue pardons to people previously convicted of a cannabis-possession offense in that range.
Since the 2012 passage of Amendment 64, which legalized recreational marijuana, Colorado has taken a number of steps to address the consequences of its historic marijuana laws, which disproportionately affected Black and other people of color. But for some, pot-related convictions can still be a barrier to getting a job, renting a home or maintaining parental rights after a divorce.
House Bill 1090 aims to close those gaps.
“We’re really looking for folks who had kind of a one-time hiccup …. allowing those folks to get on with life,” said Rep. Alex Valdez, a prime sponsor of the legislation along with a fellow Denver Democrat, state Sen. Julie Gonzales. [Read more at The Colorado Sun]
The post Coloradans convicted of marijuana possession could easily get their record sealed under new bill appeared first on Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news.
