As more states legalize marijuana, people with drug convictions want their records cleared
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have now legalized recreational marijuana. For people with lingering drug convictions, this has raised new questions about what this legislation means for their criminal records.
Virginia becomes first Southern state to legalize marijuana
Lawmakers voted Wednesday to approve Gov. Ralph Northam's proposed changes to a bill to allow adults in Virginia to possess and cultivate small amounts starting in July.
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Could Oregon’s decision to decriminalize hard drugs provide a model for the country?
With New York’s recent legalization of recreational cannabis, more than 40 percent of Americans now live in states that have embraced marijuana legalization. Oregon has been on the leading edge of drug reform and in November became the first to…
New York is latest state to legalize recreational marijuana
The legislation provides protections for cannabis users in the workplace, housing, family court and in schools, colleges and universities, and sets a target of providing half of marijuana licenses to individuals from underrepresented communities.
The state Health Services Department on Friday announced it had approved 86 licenses in nine of the state's 15 counties under provisions of the marijuana legalization measure passed by voters in November.
The bill would reverse what supporters called a failed policy of criminalizing pot use and take steps to address racial disparities in enforcement of federal drug laws.
Voters in Arizona and New Jersey added their states to the list of places legalizing marijuana for adults. And Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of hard drugs.
The vote illustrates the difficulties of using the legislative process and not a ballot initiative to fully legalizing marijuana.
Illinois' governor granted more than 11,000 pardons for low-level marijuana convictions on Tuesday, describing the step as a first wave of thousands of such expungements anticipated under the state's new marijuana legalization law.
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