Following in the footsteps of federal marijuana pardons issued in late 2022 by President Biden, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey plans to issue thousands of pardons for those convicted of marijuana possession.
Governor Maura Healey (photo credit: Steven Senne/Associated Press).
Specific details of the plan will be announced at a Wednesday press conference. What we do know is that the pardons will cover charges related to possessing up to an ounce of marijuana, which was legalized in 2016.
Under Massachusetts marijuana law, those 21 and older are allowed to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and cultivate up to six plants for personal use. The first licensed marijuana store opening in 2018.
In December, 2022 Biden pardoned thousands of people who had been convicted of the use and simple possession of marijuana on federal lands and in the District of Columbia. In doing so, Biden called on governors across the state to follow his lead and issue state-level pardons, something a handful of governors have done.
A recent report by Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) found that there were nearly 70,000 civil or criminal violations for marijuana possession issued in Massachusetts between 2000 and 2013.
According to data compiled and released by CCC, there was $143.2 million worth of marijuana and marijuana products sold in February, almost identical to the $143.8 million sold in January despite the month being two days shortly. February sales were roughly $10 million more than the total for February, 2023.
