July 29, 2021 – The bill also required that marijuana convictions no longer considered criminal be automatically “vacated and dismissed.” This makes about 160,000 records eligible for expungement.
And of course, in April this year the state fully legalized marijuana for adult use. Under the new law, possession of up to three ounces in public (or 24 grams of concentrate) is now legal. The law requires that anyone convicted for possession up to 1 pound of marijuana is eligible to have their record automatically expunged, making an additional 150,000 convictions eligible.
These developments are hugely positive in a state that has historically and more recently been a fierce drug-war battleground, targeting largely Black and Latinx residents. But as New York enters a new era of marijuana legalization, advocates will want to make sure that the state and its courts fulfill the promise to dismiss—and ultimately, destroy—past marijuana cases and convictions.
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