After a review under the state’s post-legalization crime erasure program, Connecticut prosecutors dismissed over 1,500 marijuana cases and modified 600 more.
Patrick Griffen, Chief State’s Attorney, submitted a Friday report to the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee. It showed that the review included individual examinations in 4,248 cases involving controlled substance.
Each of the 13 Connecticut judicial districts had a prosecutor who was charged with clearing convictions in relation to activity that was legalized under the marijuana bill. Last year, Ned Lamont (D), signed the cannabis bill into law.
Griffen noted that the state statute did not previously distinguish marijuana cases from other drugs still prohibited. Therefore, it was difficult to automate this process. After a case-by-case review, 1,562 convictions were finally thrown out. Other 624 cases involving multiple crimes were also modified to remove marijuana charges.
“With 4,248 cases in state containing this charge (2.139 pending and 2.109 in re-arrest statut), this was no small task and quite labor intensive,” said the letter to legislators, first reported from Hearst Connecticut Media Group. “Despite the Committee’s concerns, I represented that the Division would treat these cases as a priority and not require any further legislation.
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Note about “further legislation” refers to a bill on which the Joint Judiciary Committee is currently working. It was passed in a 27-10 vote Friday. The law would direct the state Division of Criminal Justice not to prosecute future or pending cannabis-only cases.
Representative Steven Stafstrom (D), cochair of the committee, stated during Friday’s hearing how the chief state’s attorneys’ office action may have removed some of the bill language. He expects that it will be amended before it reaches the House floor. However, the overall legislation remains necessary to provide greater relief to people whose cases aren’t covered by the legalization law.
It also includes sentencing modifications provisions for people who were convicted before legalization.
“This clears up confusion that may have been created under the legalization-of-cannabis process, whereby certain offenses that were pending before cannabis legalization remained pending even after that legislation was adopted,” Stafstrom said.
Watch the Cannabis Bill Committee consider it at 19:40 in the video below.
Gov. In January, Ned Lamont (D) announced that nearly 43,000 marijuana-related convictions had been cleared by the state. In 2021 , he signed the legalization legislation which allowed the state to provide mass cannabis conviction relief.
In January , the state launched a web portal that gives information to residents about their cannabis records. It also provides guidance for those with older eligible convictions who were not automatically erased by petitioning the courts.
Lamont said that he embraces the state’s adult market which was launched at the start of the year and that he is optimistic it will reduce illicit sales.
He also joked about how one of his worries regarding the rollout of cannabis would be finding a spot in line at one dispensary. Although he wasn’t serious, the governor had previously not dismissed the possibility of joining the legal market.
In the meantime, a Connecticut legislative panel approved a bill decriminalizing small amounts of psilocybin mushrooms
Read the Chief State’s Attorney Letter to legislators on dropping marijuana cases:
New Biden Proclamation Highlights Marijuana Criminalization’s Role in Blocking Employment And Education
The post Connecticut Prosecutors Drop More Than 1,500 Marijuana Suits In Expansion of Legalization Relief was first published on Marijuana Moment.
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