Legislation allowing those with convictions for possessing or cultivating marijuana to have the charges sealed (hidden) from their criminal record has been passed by Maine’s full legislature.
House Bill 2236 was given approval Wednesday through the Maine House of Representatives by a vote of 90 to 57. The following day the Senate passed the measure 27 to 8. The proposal will soon be sent to Governor Janet Mills, who is expected to sign it into law.
The measure will implement a recommendation of the Criminal Records Review Committee to add to the definition of “eligible criminal conviction” for the Maine Revised Statutes. “which identifies what is considered an eligible underlying crime for a person to file a post-judgment motion to seal criminal history record information related to the conviction for that crime, any Class D crime related to unlawfully possessing or cultivating marijuana when that crime was committed prior to January 30, 2017, the effective date of Maine’s first adult use cannabis laws.”
In Maine, recreational marijuana was legalized by voters in 2016, with it officially taking effect in January, 2017. The law allows those who are at least 21 years old to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana, and grow up to three mature marijuana plants and 12 immature plants.
According to the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy, there was $19,144,646 worth of marijuana and marijuana products sold legally in March, an over 10% increase from the previous year.
For the full text of HB 2236, click here.
