America’s cannabis sector may have generated billions of dollars and created hundreds of thousands of new jobs, but its most significant achievement has been alleviating the effects of the drug war. Ostensibly started to reduce drug abuse rates and hit the criminal enterprises behind the drug trade where it hurts most — their wallets — the war on drugs failed to achieve its objectives and instead ruined plenty of lives. As a wave of drug reform sweeps across the country, several state leaders have been working to mitigate the disproportionate effects of the drug war and give the victims a new lease on life.
As 2021 drew to a close, Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued pardons to more than 1,300 individuals with prior cannabis offenses on their records. On Dec. 30, 2021, Governor Polis announced that he had pardoned 1,351 people who had been convicted of possession of two ounces or less of cannabis. Now that adults are allowed to legally possess cannabis in Colorado, Polis said in a press release, it is unfair the records of more than 1,300 Coloradans are stained with cannabis offenses that are now considered legal.
These blemishes don’t just make a record look black, they actively reduce the chances of gaining employment, good credit and even gun ownership, he said. The pardoned individuals were eligible for clemency thanks to a newly signed law that increased the legal possession limit for recreational cannabis. When Polis signed the bill into law in May 2021, he instructed law enforcement officials to identify Coloradans who had prior convictions for possession of two ounces of cannabis or less.
This isn’t the first time Polis has issued pardons for individuals with prior cannabis convictions. In October 2020, he pardoned nearly 3,000 people who had been convicted of possessing one ounce or less of cannabis. His actions were in line with a bill he signed into law in June that gave him the authority to grant clemency for individuals convicted of possessing two ounces of marijuana or less. However, only cases of possession of up to one ounce were granted clemency as that was the state’s possession limit at the time.
In the meantime, a new law that would have an impact on Colorado’s medical marijuana program took effect on Jan. 1, 2022. The law will limit medical cannabis patients to purchasing eight grams of cannabis concentrate per day. Patients will be able to buy more than the allowed limit if they have a designated primary dispensary and their doctor declares that it is medically necessary.
The pardons provide additional testimony that cannabis is gradually shedding its reputation of old and replacing it with social acceptability as information about its numerous benefits emerges. Sector players from around the world, including Cannabis Strategic Ventures Inc. (OTC: NUGS), may expect significant growth of the market as more jurisdictions roll back their prohibitive laws.
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