The Governor of Wisconsin granted a second round of pardons. This included dozens of people who had prior marijuana convictions.
Governor. Tony Evers, a Democrat, announced on Tuesday he had used his constitutional authority to grant relief to an additional 82 people. This brings the total number pardons granted under his administration up to 1,111.
Around one third of recent pardons went to people with marijuana possession, cultivation, or sales convictions. The majority of cannabis cases were related to simple possession. A third of all clemency grants went to those with drug convictions.
In a press release, the Governor’s Office listed the names and crimes of those who were granted clemency. They also gave a short description of the person’s life today.
- Joshua Haus was in late adolescence when marijuana was discovered in his home. Haus, who now lives out-of-state, has a master’s in interdisciplinary study, is an ordained minister, and is a volunteer in his local community.
- Anthony Cervantes, then in his early twenties, was caught in possession of marijuana. Cervantes, who was in his early 20s when he was found with marijuana, has been a taxi driver and limo chauffeur since 2005.
- Raul Garcia Jr., was a late teenager when he found to be in possession of marijuana. Garcia, who is now a father and husband and has a steady job for almost a decade, still maintains a stable employment.
- Christopher Henry, who was in his 30s at the time, was caught in possession of marijuana. Henry is now over 20 years old and has finished coursework towards a degree in Forestry. He also volunteers for a softball league.
- Scott Vanden Heuvel, who was in his mid-20s at the time, was caught in possession of marijuana. Vanden Heuvel, who was found in possession of marijuana over 20 years ago, has now worked for a real-estate developer as a 13-year project manager and is a grandfather.
- Charles Hermann, who was then in his early twenties, was caught in possession of marijuana. Hermann is now married with a child and has been working for UPS for more than 20 years.
Evers, who had already set a record for the most pardons by a Wisconsin Governor in December 2021, said it was “continually a privilege” to hear about people’s lives, their work and what they did to overcome past mistakes and create positive and rewarding lives for them and their families.
Wisconsin law does not allow a person to expunge their record if they receive a pardon. It’s a formal act of forgiveness which restores certain rights, such as the ability to hold a public office, serve on a jury, or obtain certain professional licenses. can be used to apply for pardons.
Evers has used the pardoning process to provide limited relief during his tenure. He continues to promote broader marijuana legalization, which could help prevent cannabis convictions in the first instance.
The GOP-controlled state legislature has so far refused to accept the reform. They have removed marijuana proposals from Governor’s budget requests, and declined to advance separate legislative initiatives such as the legalization bill by Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard.
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Agard circulated an online petition this week for people to sign in order to press their state representatives to have a hearing about the cannabis legislation.
The petition directs people to a page of constituent services with information on Agard’s marijuana legalization bill , her illustrated “zine” with educational materials, and other resources to familiarize themselves with the proposal. She unveiled it at a hemp-farm in September.
The Badger State has not taken any meaningful action to legalize marijuana. Republican leaders have stated that they are working on limited medical marijuana legislation. However, a bill towards this end has yet to be formally introduced in the current session, despite Assembly speaker Robin Vos’ (R) claim they planned to introduce it “this fall.”
Mary Felzkowski, a Republican senator in the state of Texas, said that Democrats who advocate for comprehensive legalization undermine efforts to advance incremental reform. As the minority leader pointed out, Republicans have control over both chambers of Congress and can theoretically push any version of reform they want at any time.
The state Department of Revenue, however, released an estimate of the economic impact of the reform earlier this month. It projected that it would generate approximately $170 million in tax revenue annually.
Separately bipartisan and bicameral Wisconsin legislators recently introduced a bill that would establish a pilot program for psilocybin in the state .
Study: People with anxiety who use marijuana report better sleep than those who drink alcohol or do nothing at all
The post Wisconsin Gov. Grants Dozens of Marijuana Pardons as Advocates Press GOP Leaders to Advance Legalization first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
