BALTIMORE – Gov. Wes Moore on Monday morning granted more than 175,000 pardons for cannabis possession and use convictions – one of the largest state-issued pardons in United States history.
“We will be clear: This is just a step — this is not a conclusion,” Moore, a Democrat, said in an interview Monday morning. “You must be able to correct these mistakes so that the right steps can be taken.”
The pardon applies to more than 150,000 felony convictions for cannabis possession and more than 18,000 misdemeanor convictions for use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia. Moore called this “the largest such action in the history of our country.”
Maryland residents voted overwhelmingly to approve adult recreational use of cannabis in the 2022 general election. Cannabis was officially legalized in the state on July 1, 2023.
Monday’s pardon will not result in the release of a currently incarcerated person from prison. The cases involving pardons for felony use or intent to use drug paraphernalia were not related to convictions on other charges.
Moore administration officials were unclear Monday morning exactly how many people will be affected, as some individuals will be pardoned for multiple convictions.
People with these convictions can see if they have received a pardon by visiting the Maryland Judiciary Case Search website, where these pardons will appear in about two weeks. Those who are eligible but have not received a pardon can apply through the regular application process, which can be found on the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services website.
At least a quarter of these pardons will apply to convictions in Baltimore City. Marylanders of color, especially the Black community, are disproportionately represented among these beliefs.
Moore said Monday’s pardons were “a hard-fought victory” not just for those who will receive them, “but for the soul of our state.”
“Undoing decades of damage can’t happen overnight, but we’re going to keep up the work, we’re going to keep up the pace, and we’re going to do it together. This is about recognizing our collective, shared humanity,” he said. “This is about how it is changing the way both government and society view those excluded from opportunity because of broken and unequal policies.”
According to the ACLU of Maryland, Black men make up 71% of the state’s prison population — the highest percentage among states nationwide and more than twice the national average.
Moore said Monday at the pardon signing ceremony that before legalization, black Marylanders were three times more likely to be arrested on cannabis-related charges than white Marylanders.
In a statement, Del. celebrated. Jheanelle Wilkins, a Montgomery County Democrat and chair of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, Moore’s historic order, while also recognizing the work that needs to be done in partnership with the General Assembly to “reduce the long-term problems.” impact of criminal convictions.”
Those with a criminal conviction for cannabis possession face barriers to housing, education and employment.
Attorney General Anthony Brown said that “enforcement of cannabis laws has not been color blind,” noting that while Black, Latino and white Marylanders use cannabis at the same rate, Black and Latino users face higher rates of arrests and convictions.
“The shackles of slavery, though removed, have left an indelible mark on our state, on our nation,” said Brown, a Democrat and Maryland’s first black attorney general.
He pointed to post-Reconstruction-era Jim Crow laws, the convict leasing system, the war on drugs and disproportionate arrests and convictions as “the vestiges of slavery.”
“This morning I can almost hear the clang of those buoys hitting the ground,” Brown said.
