MARIJUANA: Governor Kate Brown Grants Pardons for Oregon Marijuana Offenses going back many years
AGN.News Team
November 22, 2022
SALEM, Oregon (AGN.News) – Approximately 45,000 people will be impacted by this executive action, plus more than $14,000,000 in fines and fees will be forgiven. Governor Brown is the first chief executive of any U.S. state to take this action.
How many cases are involved?
The pardon will remove 47,144 convictions for possession of a small amount of marijuana from individual records, eliminating barriers for thousands of people seeking employment, housing, and educational opportunities who have otherwise been ineligible.
What is a pardon?
A pardon is an act of complete forgiveness for a crime by a public official. In Oregon, the Governor has the constitutional power to grant pardons.
Who qualifies for a pardon?
The pardon applies to electronically available Oregon convictions for possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana, in pre-2016 cases in which the person was 21 years of age or older, where this was the only charge, and where there were no victims.
This pardon does not apply to any other offense related to marijuana or other controlled substances. Here are some questions and answers about the pardons.
What pardons are included?
On November 21, 2022, Governor Brown pardoned state-level convictions of possession of one (1) ounce or less of marijuana in the State of Oregon, in certain electronically available cases that met three
criteria:
First, the only charge in the case was for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana. This means that no other charges were filed by law enforcement, and excludes all cases involving manufacture and delivery of marijuana.
Second, the case did not include a victim.
Third, the sole individual in the case was 21 years of age or older at the time of the possession of marijuana.
Does this apply to the incarcerated?
No. No one is currently incarcerated in the state of Oregon solely for the possession of marijuana.
Gov. Brown makes these points
“No one deserves to be forever saddled with the impacts of a conviction for simple possession of marijuana — a crime that is no longer on the books in Oregon,” Brown said in a statement Monday.
“Oregonians should never face housing insecurity, employment barriers, and educational obstacles as a result of doing something that is now completely legal, and has been for years. My pardon will remove these hardships.” – Gov. Kate Brown
Here are some the facts
Marijuana use is legal in Oregon. In previous years Black and Latino people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted of marijuana possession at disproportionate rates in the state.
Many citizens in these local communities will forever face housing insecurity, employment barriers, and educational obstacles without this executive action.
ACLU makes these points
Sandy Chung, executive director of ACLU of Oregon, said they were grateful for Brown’s use of clemency to address the state’s outdated and racially-biased practices, including policies from the failed “War on Drugs.”
Chung also said, “The path to justice is through our values of equity, care and humanity — not vengeance or criminalization,” per Yahoo News.
With this executive action, over 47,000 Oregonians will have a clear path to many of the rights and privileges now afforded to other Oregonians with these pardons.
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AGN.News Team
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