Prosecutors move to clear 54,000 marijuana convictions in California
Updated on 10/18/2022
After recreational marijuana was legalized in California, prosecutors in Los Angeles County expected a “tsunami” of petitions from people looking to clear their old criminal records. But the process turned out to be cumbersome and difficult to navigate, so most people didn’t even try. “Frankly, very few people took the legal action required to clear their records,” L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said at a downtown news conference Monday. “And yet, the will of the voters was clear.” In a move to carry out that will, prosecutors in L.A. and San Joaquin counties announced plans to automatically dismiss or reduce some 54,000 marijuana-related convictions, part of a growing movement to offer a clean slate to Californians hamstrung by their past now that pot is legal.