With Marijuana Legal In California, San Francisco Is Dismissing Thousands Of Convictions

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced Wednesday that his office will dismiss thousands of marijuana-related convictions dating back to 1975. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón said Wednesday that his office will dismiss and seal 3,038 misdemeanor convictions dating back before the state's legalization of marijuana went into effect, with no action necessary from those who were convicted. “By committing to proactively review, resentence, and dismiss past marijuana convictions, the San Francisco District Attorney’s office has demonstrated its commitment to repairing some of the harm done by the twin failures of mass incarceration and the war on drugs both disproportionately affect young people, people of color, and people suffering from untreated mental illness.” While California was the first state to allow marijuana use for medicinal purposes, Proposition 64 — which became law in 2016 and allowed for legal pot sales in 2018 — allows adults 21 or older to legally use and grow cannabis, in addition to possessing up to one ounce of it. “What about them?”

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, their city “will retroactively apply California’s marijuana-legalization laws to past criminal cases… expunging or reducing misdemeanor and felony convictions going back decades.” The move will benefit thousands who have been burdened with criminal records due to past convictions and have seen employment opportunities or access to government benefits affected by said records.
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announces the city will retroactively apply California's new marijuana laws to nearly 5,000 felony convictions, expunging or reducing misdemeanors and felonies dating to 1975.