BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday said she would issue pardons for tens of thousands of people convicted of misdemeanor marijuana
BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday said she would issue pardons for tens of thousands of people convicted of misdemeanor marijuana charges going back decades in the latest example of a state ambitiously seeking to forgive low-level drug offenders.
A pardon essentially acts as forgiveness initiated by the governor for a conviction. It does not automatically seal or expunge criminal records. The administration estimated the pardons announced Wednesday could end up benefitting hundreds of thousands of people. In 2016, Massachusetts voters approved a question legalizing pot, the same year voters in California and Nevada also legalized recreational marijuana.
The White House said at the time that Biden’s latest round of executive clemencies was meant to rectify racial disparities in the justice system. Biden had said his actions would help make the “promise of equal justice a reality.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
5 things to do this weekend, including 7 Fingers circus company and the Foundry FestivalPlus, Anita Hill at the Boston Conservatory Orchestra and two new art exhibits open in Boston.
Read more »
Massachusetts double murder suspect arrested in San DiegoLaura Acevedo joined the 10News team in April 2017 as a reporter and multimedia journalist.
Read more »
Massachusetts Governor Plans to Pardon Convictions for Simple Marijuana PossessionGov. Maura Healey announces plans to pardon all people convicted of simple marijuana possession in Massachusetts, calling it the most sweeping cannabis pardon in the United States. The pardon could affect hundreds of thousands of people.
Read more »
Falsely accused Massachusetts dad in 'Varsity Blues' admissions scandal sues Netflix, alleging defamationA Massachusetts dad who was cleared of wrongdoing in an infamous college admissions bribery scandal is suing Netflix over a documentary his lawyers say defamed him and his son and daughters.
Read more »
Explosives found in Charles River in MassachusettsBomb squad members swept the Charles River under Kendrick Street Bridge in Needham, Massachusetts, after a pair of explosives were pulled from the water in recent days, officials said. Investigators are working to determine how the ordnances ended up in the river.
Read more »
Massachusetts double murder suspect caught in CaliforniaThe suspect wanted in the shooting and killing a mother and her young daughter in a parked car in Massachusetts was arrested in California.
Read more »