Connecticut officials have moved to dismiss charges in over 1,500 marijuana cases.
Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin’s prosecutors reviewed around 4,000 pending drug-possession cases and decided to dismiss 1,562 of them, all related to marijuana charges.
“It has been the shared position of this committee and the division that persons charged with a possession of a cannabis-type substance offense that has subsequently been de-criminalized should not be prosecuted for that offense,” said Griffin.
Griffin is referring to the fact that lawmakers passed a law in 2021 legalizing the possession of personal amounts of marijuana.
“The state’s attorneys and their offices should be commended for their efforts and their commitment to addressing these cases in such a timely manner,” Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin said in a statement.
NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said “Hundreds of thousands of Americans unduly carry the burden and stigma of a past conviction for behavior that most Americans, and a growing number of states, no longer consider to be a crime. Our sense of justice and our principles of fairness demand that public officials and the courts move swiftly to right the past wrongs of cannabis prohibition and criminalization.”
According to data released by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, licensed marijuana and medical marijuana retail outlets sold $18.4 million in marijuana and marijuana products to consumers in the month of February, the first full month of legal sales, which began on January 10.
In January over 40,000 convictions for marijuana possession have been automatically expunged (erased) from people’s records.
