The Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands is encouraging people who have prior marijuana convictions “proactively” to reach out to see if they are eligible for expungements , under the territory’s cannabis legalization legislation that was passed early this year.
The government is under fire for not making progress in implementing legalization and, more specifically, expunging previous convictions as required by the bill signed by Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s (D) office published an invitation to individuals who have been criminalized for up to two ounces cannabis.
The governor has stated that the initiative is a reflection of his “commitment” to fairness and justice in the application of the law. This is especially true in light recent changes which have made the expungement procedure more complicated than originally intended.
The Virgin Islands Daily News reported, that the Office of Cannabis Regulations in the territory was supposed to release a status report on its automatic expungements by the end of the last week. It appears that this did not happen on time. It’s also unclear whether Bryan has exercised his pardoning authority independently since the legalization law was passed.
The legalization process has been widely criticized, as the licensing of the industry is stalled because there is no fully-formed regulatory body. The reformers are particularly frustrated by the delay in implementing equity provisions of the law.
Former Sen. Janelle Sarauw, the principal sponsor of the legalization legislation, stated: “I find it a scandal that equity has not been addressed.” The companion legislation was intended to give those who were disenfranchised for cannabis or imprisoned a fair chance at life. It’s simply appalling to see that nothing’s been done.
The Governor’s Office appears to be aware that the criticism exists. The governor’s office acknowledged that the law was meant to automate the process of expunging prior records. However, the governor now urges people with eligible records contact him on their own to “ensure full compliance and to address any gaps in the data received from the Judicial Branch of the Virgin Islands.”
This initiative is in line with the intention of Act No. The notice states that this initiative is in line with the intent of Act No. The Governor’s Office encourages eligible individuals to take advantage of the opportunity for a new start.
Positive Nelson, the governor’s advisor, leads a taskforce on expungement, which includes representatives from the Virgin Islands Bar Association, the Virgin Islands Justice Institute, the Virgin Islands Bar Association, and the Office of the Territorial Public Defender.
People wishing to request expungement for their cannabis-related infractions can contact Nelson at positive.nelson@go.vi.gov.
Bryan, who previously proposed his own legalization plan and described marijuana as a safer option to opioids, has also passed a medical cannabis bill in 2019.
He also stressed the need to legalize cannabis, tax it and regulate its use to generate revenue in the economic recession caused by the coronavirus epidemic.
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Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
Virgin Islands Governor Calls on People to ‘Proactively’ Reach Out About Marijuana Expungements As Government Faces Criticism Over Equity Rollout appeared first on Marijuana Moment. Virgin Islands Governor Asks People to ‘Proactively Reach Out’ About Marijuana Expunctions As Government Faces Critics Over Equity Rollout first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
